A Magical Contract
by Abra de Winter
Summary: Hermione Granger is offered a scholarship at the Cairo University by the Morgana Institute through its newest head-hunter, Oliver Wood.Completed
1. An Offer that Cannot Be Refused

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

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Chapter I - An Offer that Cannot Be Refused

Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor Head Girl was speechless. The head-hunter of the prestigious Morgana Institute of Magical Research was non other than the debonair Quidditch maniac Gryffindor heartbreaker Oliver Wood. 

"You've changed, Miss Granger" he addressed her in his insufferable patronising manner "You were never one to be lost for words"

"I expected someone else"

"Did you imagine they'd pull Dr. McNaulty out of his experiments to come and assess whether you're Morgana material or not? You have quite a high opinion on yourself!"

"Mr. Wood, how can I persuade you I am indeed Morgana material?"

"That is completely up to you! We have an impressive number of candidates this year" he smiled.

This was a huge lie. Hermione Granger's place at the Morgana Institute was certain. Even a junior trainee like Oliver Wood knew that, but he felt like teasing her.

In spite of his striking good looks, Oliver was not used to talk to girls. He only had two girlfriends at Hogwarts and his submissive, nice guy behaviour made them unbearably bossy and controlling.

This job gave him an unexpected independence. He had to take decisions on his own and he was beginning to enjoy it. He was now in danger of passing in the other extreme. For the time being his assertiveness had a soothing effect on Hermione's temper. He gave her the impression he actually knew what he was doing. When she saw him, she was afraid that the Institute might have considered lightly her application. 

"Miss Granger, the Morgana Institute is considering offering you a scholarship to the Cairo University. Due to your excellent curricular and extracurricular performances"

"I am honoured, Mr. Wood. Your letter made me very curious. Why Cairo?"

"We have a long term cooperation with them and we were informed of some recent discoveries, which could change dramatically the way we see magic today. However, the Institute feels it is wiser to have one of our own trusted students there and not rely wholly on their collaboration. Obviously, you will be bound by a magical contract of exclusivity with the Institute"

"Oh, I see. It is an impressive offer, but it's so far from home… I need some time to think about it"

"As long as you understand that we need to know right after your graduation. There are other candidates and we need to make the best choice. If you feel the distance from your family and your friends might affect your concentration, you should refuse. I'll be here on your graduation day for the answer"

"That's in two weeks. Plenty of time. Thank you for telling me this personally, Mr. Wood"

"Call me Oliver. What's the difference between us, two years?"

"Nearly four. You may call me Hermione, too" she smiled, showing him why she starred in so many boys' fantasies.

This was settled, but the atmosphere remained tensed. Oliver tried to make some pleasant conversation, but it wasn't really working.

"I hear Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup this year."

"Yes, Harry's unbeatable"

He felt a little bitterness. This implied that winning the Cup these past few years was solely Harry Potter's merit. Nothing to do with his own efforts.

"The new keeper is not as good as you" she went on.

His face brightened a little, only to plunge into a gloomy grimace at her next words

"That's what Harry says"

They finished the butterbear and said good bye awkwardly. Oliver Wood was still looking at her when he dissaparated. He wondered briefly if he had revealed too much of their objectives. Taking into account that he knew very little himself, there was only a slim chance of any real damage.

Hermione' s mind was filled with questions about her future. She had sent an application at the Morgana Institute hoping for a scholarship, but she had assumed that they would offer it to a European University. Egypt… Quite a challenge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"Egypt? Are you crazy? That's a million miles away! And do you know the weather? Bill says it's frightfully hot and there is sand everywhere"

"I thought he liked Egypt"

"He does, but the fact remains that it is a dreadful place"

Ron was mad. He had imagined they'd go to the University together. That was one of the main reasons for his effort to secure the aid of the Ministry of Magic. They had accepted his application to become an Auror and agreed to help with his University tuition. Ron had pretty much planned out his future. He felt he had a birth right to spend his life with her.

"It's a huge opportunity" Harry's voice was not convincing.

"Who's side are you on anyway?" Ron asked him angry.

"I'm on her side. She should do what's best for her"

Since his contribution and injuries in the latest battle against Voldemort, Ron was increasingly authoritative. This bothered Hermione most of all, who had the most to endure because of this change. His new, controlling attitude was driving her away.

"I haven't decided anything yet"

"You should have refused" Ron didn't accept her attempt to close the argument.

"How is Oliver?" Harry tried to change the subject.

"He's grown up" was all she could say.

This was not intended as a derogatory remark to Ron's childish outburst. Oliver Wood's appeal exerted on the female population of Hogwarts was well known and she just tried to stay away from any such feelings. Successfully. All she had seen in Oliver earlier that day was a suit. This was a Muggle way to put it. All she saw was his robes. She had stubbornly closed her eyes and her mind to his personal charm.

"Think what your parents will say!" this was Ron's last desperate attempt to help her take the right decision. 

The door slammed behind him and neither of his friends ran after him.

Alone with Hermione, Harry felt odd. They had never talked about it, but they could both feel the innate affinity between them. The possibility of her leaving him completely, the idea of seeing her once every ten years, married, with children, was too much for him. Unfortunately for them both, Harry was now mature, almost old. His continuous fight with evil had taken its toll, snatching his innocence. He couldn't bring himself to start a war with new demons. Hurting Ron would certainly bring onto him the deepest darkness. Harry didn't have the strength to offer Hermione his half soul, his dark side.

"Do you want to go?"

"I don't know… I'd miss you all so much! But it is a huge opportunity… You said so yourself"

It was aching him to agree.

"You should do what you think it's right"

"Thanks, Harry. You're a great friend"

She hugged him briefly, kissing him on the cheek and left. A never-started story ended in the Gryffindor boys' bedroom, swept in a neutral dimension of the Universe, where all things that could have happened eventually end up. The Bad Timing Continuous just got richer with the improbable story of Harry and Hermione. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

All the unsaid words were spinning around in Harry's mind. He needed to talk to someone. Sirius was still fighting a guerrilla war against the few surviving Death Eaters. His godfather's blind obsession with the revenge on Pettigrew had brought him once more on the Ministry's black list. It had taken all of Dumbledore's influence to keep him from becoming a target for the Aurors and Dementors again.

His legs carried him to the Headmaster without realising. In front of his office, Harry pondered. All Dumbledore could say was that he should listen to his conscience. In the unlikely case he'd ever dare to approach the subject in front of the old wizard. No. He needed to talk to someone who wouldn't lecture him. Not about right and wrong at least. 

In the Dungeons, Harry had the strangest non-conversation with Snape. The gist of it was that he had to be sure of what his feelings were. If he truly, deeply loved her, no other considerations should interfere. If not, he'd better nor hint to anyone about it.

To his regret, Harry buried any trace of romantic feeling he had for Hermione, resolved to look at her as the sister he never had.

Back in the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry ran into Ginny Weasley. After a cup of tea and a game of wizard's chess, things didn't seem all that bad anymore. 

Ginny's secret crush on the Potion Master seemed a distant memory in this enchanted evening. Feeling Harry open up to her, she remembered the sheer agony that almost tore her soul when she had seen him unconscious. She had noticed Snape's body in the same condition only when Harry was awake again. In that moment she knew where her destiny stood. 

She could still feel a strong attraction for Professor Snape, but this was only one of life's provocation. Harry's touch, the sound of his voice, his smile, his hair, the way he moved, attracting the all the light in the room to him, Harry's entire presence could disperse these temptations. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Hermione found Ron in the DADA classroom. Lupin had given him permission to use it whenever he needed.

Looking at the beautiful girl who had been his for the past four years, Ron understood.

"Harry's right. You should do what's best for you"

"Ron, you don't love me. You just got used to me. It's OK. I understand"

"Things have changed so much… I do love you, Mione. I just don't know if this kind of love should stay at the foundation of a lifelong commitment"

"I love you, too. I always will. As a friend"

"I feel the world crumbling around me. I know Harry and you don't want to become Aurors, but at least I thought we'd have the University together. I feel like someone is trying to take away a part of my future"

"I haven't decided anything Ron. I still have two weeks to think about it"

"I know you. This challenge is what you crave. That stupid Wood knew exactly how to entice you! You've always wanted to take part in something great, something matching your intellectual abilities. If I know anything about you, eventually, you'll decide to go"

T T T T T T T T T 

Comments are appreciated. 


	2. Graduation Day

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

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Chapter II – Graduation Day

Oliver Wood was looking at the crowd of agitated teenagers who were waiting for Dumbledore's speech to end. He had just finished a short speech himself and sat at the head of the Gryffindor table. He was considered a distinguished alumnus. 

The ball following the graduation ceremony was one of the most emotional moments in a student's life at Hogwarts. He could remember well his own confused feelings, his fear of the unknown future, the incipient void in his soul where his friends used to be. 

Now he was there on business and had to keep his mind clear of ghosts from the past. He was the focal point for many of the girls and behaved like a gentleman, dancing with as many of them as he could. 

A quarter to midnight, Oliver invited Hermione. He noticed both Ron Weasley and Harry Potter frown at his intrusion. It was logical that she had told them about the scholarship. From their cold looks, he guessed her decision.

Hermione kept quiet all during the dance. Unfortunately, his patience caused him to pay more attention to her body language than he should have. He was quite taken in by her slim, nervous, warm body, pressed close to his. He became acutely aware of the areas of contact between them, he was conscious of the way her head rested on his shoulder, of his delicate, but firm grip of her. He felt clumsy and lost some of his natural grace, stepping more than once on her toes. 

In about ten minutes of hellish awkwardness, the music ceased. Oliver escorted her out of the Great hall. On the corridor, he asked her:

"What have you decided?"

Hermione shut her eyes, inhaled deeply, giving herself a last chance to change her mind, then said:

"I'd like to go to Egypt"

"Very well. This is the answer we were waiting for"

Oliver felt more secure now. He was on familiar ground.

"All you have to do is sign this contract"

He pulled a parchment out of his robes. 

"May I read it first?"

"Wouldn't expect less from you" he smiled.

Her studying of the contract gave him the opportunity to study her. She had definitely grown up. Quite nicely.

Hermione was thin, tall, almost as tall as him, and her luxurious hair looked very seductive, flowing freely on her shoulders. His gaze stopped for a while on her lips. She was moving them a little, debating with herself some of the clauses. Her white, slender, uncovered neck made her look vulnerable. For a second, Oliver imagined sinking his teeth in the distinct, blue artery that was pumping blood forcefully under her alabaster skin.

She looked fragile, like a china doll. Her perfect beauty was not dimmed by her intellect, as it happened when she was speaking. Hermione's biting intelligence drew away the focus from her body to her mind. But silence was surrounding her like a shroud, presenting her as a superb statue. 

"Seven years of work for Morgana is quite a price. And fifteen of confidentiality. Very expensive."

"Doubts?"

"That's an underestimation. Are you so confident that something important just lays there?" when he gave no reply, she went on. "Something of this magnitude should be shared with the entire wizarding community, don't you think?"

"Did I leave you with the impression that the terms are negotiable? Let me clarify that: they are not"

"I figured that much"

"Sign it, then!"

Hermione followed his incentive. Upon signing the contract, she felt a charge of energy creeping up her spine, gripping the back of her head, penetrating her skull and wrapping her brain in a ring of fire. The sensation ceased in a few seconds, but she understood she was bound to respect the letter of that contract.

"Was it as good for you as it was for me?'

Oliver Wood displayed one of his devilish smiles. Hermione could almost see the little horns piercing through his short hair. He knew exactly what the perfection of a contract with the Morgana felt like. He could replicate from memory the perception of being possessed. He also knew that this was used mostly as a special effect. He had enjoyed his free will after the signing of the contract as much, if not more, than before.

The sensation had flushed her cheeks and her fight to regain control made her purse her lips and her eyes. She might have been a woman, but she looked just like a little girl. She tried to pull herself together, not make a spectacle of herself in front of this insufferable man.

Hermione had always regarded Oliver Wood with an uncharacteristic respect, but she now looked at him as a man, not just an older student. She still felt dominated by his cool poise. The man gave the impression that he didn't care in the least of what the rest of the world was thinking, to the same extent the Gryffindor keeper seemed impervious to the enemies' attacks on the Quidditch field. She had to respect this.

"Shall we go back?" he extended his arm.

On the stroke of midnight, she took his arm and walked along him in the Great Hall. She felt odd, stepping alongside Oliver Wood, bound to the Morgana, leaving Hogwarts, leaving Europe, leaving her friends. She felt odd, but at the same time, oddly content with her choice. It felt like the proper thing to do. It felt like she had chosen the right path. 

************

Comments are still appreciated!

Thanks, blackroseangel69


	3. First Night in Egypt

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

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Chapter III – First Night in Egypt

Hermione was unpacking. She still enjoyed doing some things in the old-fashioned Muggle style. She had her private quarters in the University of Cairo. The Morgana Institute hadn't made any economies with her accommodations. The room looked great and she couldn't stand the giddiness that came over her. She was facing a new challenge, another world was opening in front of her. She felt as though she was one of the explorers, one of those crazy people who travelled the Earth without maps. 

She felt the apparition behind her and when she turned around, she already had the wand in her hand.

"Good instinct, Miss Granger" 

Oliver Wood was smiling at her.

"The University does not have an anti-apparition barrier. Maybe you should improvise something if you don't want to be bothered"

"Yes. I shall"

"The drawback to apparition is that one can't really knock before entering. I'm sorry I've startled you" 

"It's quite all right"

Her voice sounded very cold. She hated to be discovered with her guard down. 

"The reason for my apparition was this" 

He handed her a delicate silver bracelet, shaped as a snake. 

"It is a translator. You may learn Arabic if you wish, but as promised, we provided you with means of integration in this community"

"Thanks. A silver snake with emerald eyes?" she raised her brow.

"Yes. Well, a lot of our scientists have been in Slytherin. It doesn't have side effects, you know! It's just a charmed object."

"Is there anything else, Mr. Wood? I have quite a lot of things to do"

"So do I, but there are some aspects that need clarification"

"Such as?" _*Oh, get on with it!*_

"You need to know that I was appointed your supervisor for the duration of your first year here. So, whatever your needs for security, I must have the possibility to apparate in your chambers. We'll connect you to the floo powder network, but it's not very reliable on long distances. The other thing is that you have to pay a visit to the Morgana library and get a thorough briefing from the person in charge of the project"

"When?"

"This weekend. I know you have your apparition licence, but I'll come and get you Saturday morning. There are some protocols surrounding the Institute"

"All right. I'll wait for you here, Saturday morning"

"So long"

He dissaparated before her eyes, leaving her to say good bye to the thin air.

********** 

Later that Sunday night, Hermione tried to organise her thoughts. Throughout the summer she read everything she found about Egypt in generally and about the University in particularly. 

The secrecy around the Egyptian civilisation was annoying. She was tempted to visit Madeleine's cave of pensives, the "Alexandria". Although her friend gave her the only existing map and all the keys to unlock the path to the cave, she didn't feel right about it.

Hermione wondered where Madeleine was. She had vanished from the face of the Earth a year ago, after her final exam. They have send owls back and forth, but Madeleine had been careful enough to cover her tracks. She couldn't help feeling concerned about her. Her friend seemed to have an unnatural aptitude to get in all sort of trouble.

To her surprise, a grey owl came through the open window. She imediately recognised Madeleine's seal. The words on the parchment were scribbled hastily. Hermione smiled reading them, knowing that her friend had acted on impulse. She enjoyed too much staying hidden to let anyone know her whereabouts. 

"_Dear Hermione,_

I heard that the Morgana had offered you their once in life time deal. You should be careful about them. They always have ulterior motives. Everyone does actually, but theirs are somewhat darker. Or so the gossip goes.

You know me, still a great believer in Divination (Ha! Ha!) and I see your arrival in Egypt as a sign. I took a job near Gizeh , playing archaeologist for the Muggles. Feel free to visit me when you have the time. Or send me a reply through this owl. 

Missed you tons!

Madeleine"

"Dear Madeleine, 

Congratulations for the job! Have you finally decided to settle down? Or the offer to visit you expires in a week? I'll come to see you as soon as possible, don't you doubt it!

I missed you, too!

Hermione"

*********** 

The first day at the University was tiresome. Hermione was astonished by the luxurious settings. Her idea of a University established two steps away from the Sahara was totally wrong. She had expected an ascetic lifestyle, mimicked in the sobriety of the rooms. Nothing was farther from the truth. 

The spacious rooms made the Hogwarts Great Hall look diminutive. This people had build the pyramids, she tried to make sense out of the surprise. The impressive magic that made Hogwarts' ceiling look like the sky was replaced here by the water motif. The dominant element in the University palace was the water. Several rooms had waterfalls instead of walls.

Another thing that amazed her was the apparent lack of doors. There were some water arches, some ice arches and she even noticed some fog curtains, but no actual doors. The concentration of spells on square inch was tremendous. 

__

*No more Alohamura* she smiled to herself.

Hermione managed to copy her program from a table of carved granite after she had asked a girl to read it aloud. Her translator apparently worked only on vocal command. She wanted to smack Oliver Wood's face for this little prank. She wanted to learn Arabic, but she needed some help in the beginning, not puerile jokes. 

Totally absorbed in her schedule, she bumped into somebody. 

"Excuse me" she said, with the hand on her wand out of the force of habit.

"I don't think that would work in here"

The amused voice belonged to Bill Weasley. 

"I heard you were in town and wondered when I'd bump into you"

She noticed that the mask of humour in the face of a possibly embarrassing situation was a Weasley family trademark. She felt her heart leap at Ron's memory.

"So good to see a familiar face!"

Her surprise was not as well hidden as she thought. 

"You had no idea that I teach here! I guess Ron doesn't brag about me as much as he used to"

"What do you teach?"

"Actually I'm filling in for somebody this semester. Scandinavian Spirituality. It's an optional subject. Well, that and Quidditch"

"Sounds very interesting"

"You are very polite. I didn't imagine you that way"

"I wasn't being polite" she argued.

"Ron told me about your attitude towards Divination. This is rather similar."

"Oh"

"Yes" he laughed. "The runes told me you'll have a cup of tea with an older man tonight"

"Really?"

"Honestly! Come on, what do you say? Pick you up at seven? I can show you Cairo!"

She had planned to "jump" to Gizeh tonight. Her pause only made him want her company even more.

__

*You can always go tomorrow* something inside tempted her to postpone visiting Madeleine.

"All right. I'll be ready. Can you escort me to my first class? I still haven't got the hang of the place"

"Milady, it would be my honour"

*********** 

The Potions lab was nothing like Snape's dungeons. The room was wide and very bright. Her teacher on the other hand, looked more sinister than Snape did in his worst days.

Haroun Ibn Amir Ibn Khalil was a small man, very thin, with a pronounced limp, a dark complexion and black hair. The left half of his face was badly burned, his left eye paralysed in a mocking wince and his arms were covered with signs of many experiments gone wrong.

Her translator was working properly, but his lecture was dull. The contrary of the adrenaline rush Snape's classes always brought. She could see the old man's lips moving in a foreign language, but into her mind she only heard English. This was disturbing. 

********* 

The Dark Arts class was somewhat more instructive. Due to her experiences with Harry battles as much as to her unrelenting curiosity, Hermione knew everything about the spells and rituals discussed, but she understood one thing very clearly: this class was called "Dark Arts" and not "Defence Against the Dark Arts" for a good reason. She was going to learn some serious stuff, not only defence and avoidance. This was going to be a true test for her.

********** 

Over dinner, Hermione pestered Bill with hundreds of questions. 

"Why did you say my wand wouldn't work?"

"Did you take a good look at this place? There are more spells embroidered into one room of that palace that in all of Hogwarts. This takes its toll on the magical abilities of the inhabitants. Only very powerful sorcerers are permitted to enter the palace. Most wands backfire in there"

"So, they do wandless magic?" 

"Yes. But no one can cast powerful spells inside"

"That's the reason for the excessive magic?"

"Yeah. They didn't use defensive spells around the palace, but the decorative spells are very old, very strong and designed to draw the energy from any magical activity in the proximity"

"Clever devils, weren't they?"

"Very. They didn't last and flourish in the desert by accident"

"You seem quite impressed by them"

"I've seen some pretty impressive stuff around here"

"But you teach Scandinavian Spirituality"

"Hell yes! I'm very proud of my European background. The Scandinavian invaders have left profound marks in the British way we see life and magic"

"When Merlin lived, the pyramids were already old, that's the idea, right?"

"People had time to forget the hieroglyphs when we were still savages"

The evening went on like this into the night. Hermione found the conversation utterly stimulating. She had always enjoyed to look at the big picture. 

****** 

She entered her room shortly after midnight. All she wanted was to get undressed and immerse her body into a tub of warm, scented water.

She looked at her feet and thanked Madeleine again for this Christmas present. The shoes spelled by Isis were the only thing that still felt comfortable.

She threw her skirt on the bed and unbuttoned her shirt, when she heard a voice from the dark depths of an armchair.

"Don't do that!"

She screamed and pulled the sheets from the bed, covering herself. Oliver Wood stood up from his cosy armchair and looked away, slightly embarrassed. 

"What are you doing in my bedroom?" Hermione tried not to sound hysterical.

She hated acting like a child in front of him. She felt the constant need to make a good impression, to earn his respect. 

"I came to talk to you" he coughed.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because I fell asleep! You call this a reasonable time to get home?" he counterattacked. 

"That's not your business!"

"You haven't read the fine print" he yawned.

"What fine print?" 

"I am responsible for you. If you don't do your job here, it's my job on the line as well. If something happens to you… well, I don't want to get into that!"

"And what's the downside for me?" she tried to annoy him.

"That I am going to keep a close eye on you. I'm glad to see you've decided against the anti-apparition devices."

"I didn't. It's just that the spells are more difficult than I thought"

"Never thought I'd see the day when Hermione Granger finds a spell too difficult for her!"

"Not too difficult! Just trickier than I thought?"

"Anyway, you have mail"

He handed her a scroll. It didn't have the Morgana seal, as she expected, but Madeleine's.

"Did you read it?" she inquired suspiciously.

"No! I just took it from the owl. You didn't expect to let the poor beast to die of boredom waiting for you!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're not **that** boring!" she paid back his reproach.

Sorry to stop in mid argue, but am very tired. Hope to spice things up tomorrow. 

Thanks for the reviews Juvenus and Mrs. Biggerstaff!

Blackroseangel69, I hope you're still with me.


	4. Dissapearing Acts

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

The translator bracelet is an adaptation of an idea from "Any Means Necessary".

****

Chapter IV – Disappearing Acts

"You're not **that** boring"

Her clumsy attempt of an insult actually touched Oliver. He always had an incipient complex if inferiority in front of her. The people from Morgana had offered her a scholarship and future access to all the secrets of the firm, but they only gave him a job based on his good looks. They made him responsible for public relations. He was just a part of the Institute's scheme to improve their image. Everyone always saw him as a pretty face, nothing more. 

"Where were you, anyway?" he adopted his patronising attitude again. 

"I had… dinner with someone"

"A date? On your first day?! You move fast!"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Mr. Wood. I met Bill Weasley for dinner. I didn't know he was teaching here"

"Hmm… yes, he does" Oliver's tone was intriguing.

"Is there a problem?" she pressed him.

"Don't you think you should get dressed?"

Oliver said that as sourly as possible, trying to hide that he found her arousing. Hermione was flustered for a bit, but didn't give up the argument.

"It's rather late and I want to sleep. There's no reason for me to get dressed. Good night!" she climbed in the bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin.

He threw a small box on the bed. Hermione opened it and her face brightened.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed at the sight of an exquisite silver necklace, sprinkled with diamonds. "Thank you!"

"It's not a gift" he barked irritated. "It helps you to read Arabic and other ancient languages"

"Oh, that..." she remembered being slightly annoyed because of it earlier that day.

"I told them to send you the glasses, but they said this gives you more insight in the Egyptian way of thinking"

"I'm quite cute with glasses actually" she tried to piss him off again.

She wasn't really good at it. Oliver only said:

"Take care with Bill Weasley. Things aren't always what they seem"

"What do you mean by that?"

But she only spoke to the air. Oliver Wood had disaparated.

Hermione sighed, relieved and upset at the same time. She reached for Madeleine's letter on the night table. 

__

"Dear Hermione,

Happy to know you'd like to come and visit. The offer doesn't expire in a week thank you very much! I'm bound by contract to stay here in Gizeh at least three more months. Although I'd love to see you as soon as possible, I'm afraid I have to ask you not to pop in around here in the next couple of weeks. I'll be away on business. (That sounds cool, doesn't it?)

Best of luck in school! I heard wonderful things about the University. I just know you'll rock the place! 

Madeleine"

It was just like Madeleine to run away again. She was not ready to meet her. Hermione was rather hurt. She needed to talk to her for several reasons. When Madeleine left Hogwarts, she had let quite a lot of loose ends. Hermione felt responsible for her. They just had to talk. The girl was a firm believer in saving a friend, even from themselves.

"What are friends for?"

********** 

In his London apartment, Oliver was thinking about his reactions while casting the protective spells. He put up the regular defences around his pad quite mechanically. 

Why did he stay and wait for her more than two hours? He could have contacted her in the morning before classes.

Aside from his uncharacteristic behaviour, two things really bothered him.

One was Bill Weasley's presence. Bill had always been too far from the Ministry's observant eye. He was not to be trusted. He had spent enough time in Egypt to shift his loyalties from the British wizarding community to the African Med-jai. He had to make some inquiries, but his instinct was warning him Bill was a liability for their project. His instinct might have meant a danger for his projects about Hermione, but Oliver was not aware of any such plans.

He was resolute to enlighten Hermione on this matter.

The other problem was the letter she had received. He instantly recognised the Bricassart seal. Alphonse and Calypso were active collaborators of the Morgana. They were the best scouts the Institute ever had. 

He had of course probed the letter, without leaving any traces. The content was innocent enough, but it gave him a clue about the location of the lost Bricassart offspring. And it was bad news. She worked in Gizeh, for the Med-jai.

************* 

In doctor McNaulty's office, Oliver expressed his worries. The old wizard tried to put his mid at rest.

"Don't worry about Madeleine. She's just like her father. Alphonse went to Durmstrang, graduated with honours, is a powerful wizard, but when the push came to shove he was a faithful ally of the Ministry. Calypso and him are some of the most trust worthy people I know"

"But do you know their daughter?"

"I met her when she was about ten"

"She works for the Med-jai now"

"And we work with them. If we don't trust our partners, who can we trust?"

"Ourselves"

Oliver's youth made him so bold, so incorruptible. McNaulty smiled in his bushy white beard. The boy was turning into a man under his eyes. No more thoughts of Quidditch on his mind. He became a part of the intricate web of Morgana people. He put the good of the Institute in the top of his priorities. The Contract's effect was very strong.

McNaulty could remember the day May Thorsen came in his office with the final draft of the Contract. Everyone agreed it was a splendid piece of witchcraft. _*Whatever happened to her? I think she went to teach at Hogwarts*_. The Contract linking people to the Morgana Institute was the creation of one of the most gifted witches he had ever met. It worked smoothly, persuading the person who had signed to be more and more happy with the decision taken. The previous version of the Contract accentuated the punishments following any breach of the agreement. Thorsen was a great believer in spelling the mind rather than frightening the soul! _*The good old times!*_.

Oliver watched Miles McNaulty slide on the memory lane. He had a lot of respect for his boss, but he couldn't help thinking he was a little antiquated for the demands of his position. But Oliver didn't know just how appropriate the good old witch doctor really was, nor he knew just how hard the new management of the Institute tried to shake exactly the harsh manner of work he believed suitable. 

"I know the Med-jai are our partners, but I also know that if the books are discovered they will not just give us all the information. Granger is one of the pawns the Institute is using to make them feel that we're breathing down their neck. I still don't understand how can you entrust something like that to a child!"

"She was highly recommended. You wouldn't believe who pleaded her case most vehemently… Your Potions Master! Professor Snape seems to have every confidence in her. And we have reason to trust his judgement"

"He works for you?"

"The Institute has a long term co-operation with him. He's very good in reading people. Actually one of your recommendations came from him. He's also a head hunter for the Morgana"

"A man of many talents" Oliver hissed annoyed.

"You don't owe him anything, don't worry! It's part of his job to spot talents"

"I'm going to look for information about the Bricassart" he said _*And about Bill Weasley*_ he added to himself.

************ 

The information about Madeleine de Bricassart was scarce, but very interesting. She attended Hogwarts for one year, she was twenty at that moment and she had been sorted in Slytherin. 

__

*It figures*

The rest of her life was pretty much covered in silence. Apparently she had travelled with her parents everywhere in the world. But she was not a Morgana affiliated herself. 

__

*What could she be doing in Gizeh?* he wondered. 

The ancient Egyptian order of the Med-jai did not give jobs to Europeans out of the blue. And not something connected with their blasted pyramids. They were absolutely paranoid about them. Of course, he had no way to find very much about the situation, since most African countries had an obstructive attitude about the exchange of information with Europe. Even the extensive resources of the Institute could help him. He just had to do some fieldwork. 

************* 

Hermione's day went great. She enjoyed studying and she was very good at it. By the end of the week everything became a routine. Even the every day dinners and stimulating conversations with Bill turned into a habit. She felt cheated by the lack of challenge. 

Every time she came home her heart would pound heavily, in the expectance of Oliver Wood. When the lights were on she had to tell herself that she had no reason to be upset. He was only her supervisor, there was no reason for him to visit her every day. She found herself longing for Saturday to come. 

~~~~~~~~~ 

Thanks again for the reviews! 

I wouldn't mind suggestions as well. I have a clear idea about the ending and about the Egyptian secrets, but I can't really get to that part yet. I hope the story won't get boring till I set the stage for the final destination.


	5. The Briefing

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

****

Chapter V - The Briefing

"Ready?" was the first thing Oliver said when he apparated in Hermione's room.

"Good morning to you too"

"Ready?" he sounded really annoyed this time.

"_What side of the bed did you wake up?" _Hermione muttered to herself.

A sunny smile kept curling her lips and she couldn't help it. For no apparent reason, she was happy.

Oliver grabbed her hand and dissaparated. She opened her eyes to see both of them in the four mirrors that cover the walls of the room they apparated in. 

"What now?" she asked after several seconds.

"Now we wait"

Automatically, he stroked her hand with his thumb. The sensation electrocuted Hermione. She squeezed his hand instinctively. That brought Oliver back to reality and he let go of her hand, with regret. 

The floor started sinking with them, making Hermione to grasp his arm. At his cold look, she pulled herself together. Oliver's look did not reflect his feelings. His actually had mixed feelings about her touch. Whatever they were, the sensations were strong enough to break his concentration. 

The mirror room was a sort of anti-contamination chamber. The visitors were cleaned of all the spells surrounding them as well as a powerful field of energy, which mellowed their spirits so that no one was tempted to do anything against the interests of the Institute. Since Oliver found out about this he tried to trick the device. It never worked, but this time his attempt was sabotaged by Hermione's presence. 

The Morgana people had one major concern. In the Muggle society, the analogue behaviour was an established company policy - "protection against industrial espionage". The Morgana affiliates were impelled to be loyal to the company, no matter what was their personal agenda.

Oliver stepped off the ceiling of the room below, which was now at the same level with the floor. She followed his example. When she looked back, there was no sign the ceiling had left its place. 

The room beneath the chamber of mirrors was cut in stone and was continued by a maze of corridors. What Hermione didn't know and what most wizards have always ignored was the fact that the Morgana Institute of Magical Research was carved in the hard rock of the Scandinavian Mountains. The Institute kept the Muggles away not as much by strong repellent charms, but through a subtle manipulation. Their best defence was the conviction induced to some environmental groups and later to the political circles that the zone was a breading area for certain endangered species.

The sombre atmosphere was not meant to be terrifying, but it was designed to inspire respect. After the lavish Egyptian settings, Hermione found the Institute's Spartan look quite comforting.

Oliver invited her into an office on the right. The room was warmer than the corridor and had a homey appearance. It even had fake windows, she noticed. Squares on the wall were charmed to look like windows. The accomplishment was impressive. The fact that they showed different panoramas was a dead give away! On one side was a view of the Notre Dame Cathedral, on the opposite wall was a view of the Hyde Park.

"Miss Granger. I'm glad to finally meet you. I am Miles McNaulty"

"How do you do, Sir"

"Mr. Wood's report on you was quite impressive. You're doing very well in Cairo I can see"

"Studying, Sir. It's something I'm quite used to"

"Well then, if there were no cultural adaptation shock, we can get to business. I wanted Mr. Wood to assist to our little chat because he will be your supervisor and he has to be up to date with everything that's going on. This means that **you** have to tell **him **everything"

"Fair enough"

"Your main objective is to work with an Egyptian team of researchers. They are looking - we have reason to believe they're right - for an ancient book of spells. Legend goes that Osiris let an extensive training manual for his followers. The magic in it was considered too powerful for the human race and the ancient Med-jai have buried it. Two thousand years later, they had lost all traces of the hiding place. Another four thousand years later, in 1950 AD they mounted a search party. No conclusive results. Many of them died, mysteriously, and the search was stopped until two years ago. Now they seem to be closing in a potential area. We don't have complete confidence in their good faith. Just to be on the safe side, we demanded to have our own people working with them. They were very neighbourly about it. Sadly, none of the wizards we sent was able to resist the atmosphere. So we decided to try a young witch. Not a pure blood. Their culture has certain aspects incomprehensible to a pure blood. They even have Muggle assistants"

"It figures. I'm everything you're looking for. But why did you send me to the University and not on the digging site?"

"It's not as simple as that. Their protective spells still work and the site allows actual work only two days each month. You had to have another occupation. Besides, if you'll come and work for us, you must have a proper training"

"And I learn about the way they think, right?"

"Exactly. I'm sorry I don't have more time for you right now. We'll talk next month. Until then, Mr. Wood will escort you to our library. And this is a file with what you need to know about the situation"

McNaulty handed her a thin file, spelled to open to her touch. This impressed Hermione who browsed through it on her way to the library. 

"How long do you want to stay here?"

"Two - three hours at least"

"I'll come and get you at twelve. I still have some things to tell you"

Hermione smiled.

"I'll be waiting"

The three hours of reading passed quickly for Hermione. As usually, the more she read, the more questions she had. 

__

*This is definitely something to ask Madeleine about*

Unfortunately, her friend was still incommunicado. Her owls came daily, but no renewal of the offer to visit. 

"Satisfied?" Oliver inquired.

"Not nearly. I have hundreds of questions"

"Let's start over lunch, ok?" 

Hermione's stomach growled in agreement. Out of the library they ran into Professor Snape. 

"Hello, Professor Snape" Oliver greeted him.

"Mr. Wood" Snape acknowledged his presence. "Miss Granger, still studying…" his tone was not as sarcastic as she was used to.

"Yes. It's quite a surprise to see you here"

"I'm moonlighting" he grinned, amiably.

"Have you… err?"

"No. I didn't destroy it though."

"I really think you should have a look" she wanted to say more, but the problem had a personal nature and Oliver was standing next to them.

"What was that all about?" Oliver asked as soon as they were alone again.

"I needed his opinion about some stuff I discovered" she lied awkwardly.

She couldn't very well tell him about an affair between Snape and a student, or about the way she found out about it. Luckily, she had no idea just how much this old story would have an impact on her assignment and on Morgana's interests. Not knowing this, the security system was not triggered, so she got away with the little lie.

"Where are we going?" she asked while they dissaparated from the mirrors room. 

They apparated discreetly in a secluded alley of a Parisian park. They walked hand in hand to a nearby restaurant. Hermione compared his hold with Ron's. It felt different, but delicious. She tried to ignore the fact that they walked like a pair of lovers and just enjoy the situation. 

Having lunch with Oliver Wood proved to be one of the most exhausting things she ever had to do. Oliver acted, or tried to act like a perfect gentleman, but Hermione sensed he was annoyed. Quite a difference from the pleasant chats with Bill. When they talked about work, things went pretty well. As soon as the subject of conversation turned a little personal she felt him pulling away. She decided he hated her and tried not to think too much about it. Unfortunately, the legendary Oliver Wood charisma had an effect on her. She fought as hard as she could, but all she managed was to deny to herself that she felt something for him and not to stop feeling it.

On the other side of the table, Oliver was tortured pretty much in the same way. He had to concentrate to think of the job, to give her all the information she needed, all the pointers to make her task easier and all that popped into his head were remarks like

*_Her eyes are amazing. So bright, so smart, so open*_ or

__

*I like her hair that way. It's just like her, full of temperament*

*I wonder what perfume she's wearing*

*Should I visit her more often*

All these thoughts were suppressed by his rational mind and all that came out were dry, bitter remarks about the work. He had to attack the Weasley issue.

"Have you seen Bill Weasley lately?"

At first, Hermione thought this was a personal question. She was both bothered by his intrusion, but a little flattered as well. 

"Yes. We had dinner almost every evening"

His next remark shattered this illusion.

"You should be careful with him. He lived in Egypt for the past ten years. He was probably recruited by the Med-jai. It's not such a good idea to spend a lot of time with him"

"You think he had an ulterior motive for having dinner with me?"

This assumption hurt her. And Hermione Granger, the sweet girl everyone knew and loved lost her temper.

"Just because for you it's a professional obligation to spend time with me does not mean everyone else has the same problem! You don't even know for sure if he does work for the Egyptians and you tell me to stay away from the only person that I can talk to? Maybe he just enjoys my company! Didn't you think of that? Bill Weasley is one of the nicest men I have ever met and I shan't stand for your unfounded suspicions!"

Hermione was probably hurt because she was now convinced that he was only talking to her because that was his job. He couldn't conceive that a man would choose to spend time with her. In her mind, she reacted like that because Bill Weasley was indeed a nice guy and he would never stoop so low as to take advantage of their friendship. After all, Denial is not only a river in Egypt!

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Thanks for the reviews! 

Lauren, if you liked "The Mummy" I think you'd like my other Harry Potter fic, "Madeleine". It's a Snape fic and it's completed.

"Denial is not only a river in Egypt" is one of my favourite puns. Just had to use it!


	6. Digging up the Dead

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

Ideas also came from: "Star Wars: Dark Forces - Rebel Agent" by William C. Deets and Ezra Tucker; "The Mummy" and "SG1". However, it's not a crossover.

I hope you don't mind the frequent use of apparate/dissaparate, but I don't imagine that anyone who is able to do it would choose another method of travelling.

I'm watching "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", but I promise it's just a coincidence, no borrowed ideas.

****

Chapter VI - Digging up the Dead

Hermione apparated in her room. She was all sulky and she looked adorable. Oliver apparatted five minutes later. 

"You dropped this"

"Oh, yes. The job again"

She took the brief with two fingers as if it was disgustingly dirty.

"Anything else, Mr. Wood?"

Oliver was ready to go, but her tone disturbed him.

"Miss Granger, you should grow up! I'm sorry I wasn't more tactful, but it's my duty to watch over you. Bill Weasley is a charming guy, I know that. But sometimes people are not what they seem. I didn't know you were already so attached to him. I hope I'm wrong and you're right, but we have more to lose if you make a mistake than you'd lose if you acted more cautiously although you were right."

She wanted to interrupt him with _"I'm not **so** attached to him!"_, but she didn't. It wasn't Oliver Wood's business whom she fancied. And she didn't fancy Bill.

"I'll come in the morning to take you to the digging site"

"But"

But he was gone. She stamped her foot.

"That man!!!"

******* 

After a peaceful night, the morning came with a vengeance. Oliver apparated in his usual spot, but he immediately stumbled on Hermione's shoes, which were lying carelessly on the floor. 

The noise woke her up and she jumped out of bed, hardly dressed. Enjoying a full view of her body, Oliver stumbled again just as he was picking himself up.

"Is it morning already?" she asked him, combing her hair with her fingers.

"Yes, it's bloody morning! What have you done with the room?"

Piles of books were scattered here and there on the floor, mixed with a considerable number of shoes. Hermione looked around, remembering pieces of the previous evening, including her first attempt to drink a local "soft drink".

"I was looking for something"

As the anger over the not-so-immaculate landing decreased, Oliver turned his back to the half naked girl and coughed.

"We can go as soon as you're ready"

Hermione hurried to get dressed but she found the time to complain:

"I didn't have any breakfast!"

"It's 9 a.m.! We don't have a lot of time!"

He took her hand again, which had the same electrifying effect on her.

"Now that you know where to come I trust you won't be needing me for this again" he said when they apparated in a green valley.

"I hope so too!"

The hostility between them was growing again. The words _"you won't be needing me to hold your hand everywhere we go"_ were swallowed with great difficulty by Oliver. Holding hands with Hermione felt terribly annoying because it felt terribly right.

"Come this way" he continued playing his part.

A few seconds later they encountered the first human being.

"Hallo, Oliver!" an olive-skinned girl kissed him on the cheek.

Hermione hated her from that moment. She'd never let herself be so friendly with him!

"Mena, this is Hermione Granger. She studies at the Cairo University. She'll represent the Institute on the site. Miss Granger, this is Mena Kalef, an esteemed archaeologist from the Egyptian Ministry of Magic. She's been working on this project for the last two years"

The women smiled at one another.

"Let me show you the ropes" Mena offered to guide her.

"I have to go now. I'll visit you soon, Miss Granger!"

Before Hermione had the chance to say anything, he popped out of sight.

"The site is half a mile away. It has an anti-apparition barrier, so the rendezvous point is here. And it's still too close for the pure blood wizards"

"So that's why he was in such a rush" she realised.

"Yes. We had only one pure blood wizard who lasted for ten days, but he was half dead when he left"

"What has this effect on wizards?"

"The Ancients have created discriminatory spells. Some of them affect only pure bloods, others only affect Muggles. This place was supposed to be sealed off from the magical community, because only sorcerers have the ability to use it"

"Use what?"

"The force. The energy. This place holds vast fields of energy. We're still puzzled. There are some legends, but most of them can't be verified. After thousands of years the grain of truth which spawned the legend becomes unrecognisable"

"But you did follow leads from legends to get here" Hermione remarked, knowing this from the brief.

"Well yeah, but this is like the 127th try" Mena laughed. "It was sheer luck!"

"How long do we have to snoop in this place?"

"Approximately 48 hours. The site literally disappears. Some legends speak of Hamunaptra and this is something similar. Except it's not the City of the Dead, although to uses the same cloaking devices"

"As far as I read, this window of opportunity appeared in time, it wasn't designed in the original spell"

"I think so, too" Mena was excited to find someone who appeared to understand things the same way. "The Ancients tried to make perfect spells. Unbreakable. This loophole would be something quite contrary to their way of thinking."

__

*Loophole* the word triggered Hermione's memory. _*Isis*_. She had to talk to Madeleine as soon as possible. Maybe the information wasn't completely lost!

***** 

The next 48 hours were over in a heartbeat. Mena and Hermione worked perfectly together. The men were mostly used as beasts of labour on the site, since the place seemed to affect to a remarkable extent their intellectual abilities. 

With every hour that was passing, Hermione was more convinced that they were dealing with spells cast by Isis. From what Madeleine had told her, she had a detailed image of the dead witch's spells.

__

*To hell with her hiding! This is important stuff. I'll owl her as soon as I get to Cairo"

******** 

She chose to apparate directly in her bathroom. The two days spent in the desert took their toll on her hygiene. She peeled the soiled clothes off and slipped into a tub full of scented foamy lukewarm water.

Hermione played the music from her mind in the nearby reality with the aid of "the ultimate hi-fi" as Madeleine called the spell. She was thinking of her long lost friend and her obsession with May Thorsen's books. She gave Hermione her signed copy of "Mind Spells", which the girl found very interesting. The possibilities to mess with the human mind were huge, reaching far beyond Madeleine's favourite "Obliviate".

__

"Dear Madeleine,

I wouldn't want to bother you with an inopportune «pop up» as you so affectionately called it, so I'm presenting my affection in this epistolary form. I'm only too happy to hear you are actually going to stick around for several months.

The University is everything you heard and maybe even more. So different from Hogwarts in so many ways! I am however dealing with the local culture and can't help being fascinated by it. For instance I heard this old legend, which stirred my curiosity about some valley of death, a place that could offer limitless powers to whoever enters. Did you hear anything about it now that you are in this line of work?

I ran into Bill Weasley last week. He's the only friendly face from home I've seen since I came here. Don't you feel guilty enough yet to pay me a visit? We have so many things to talk about!

Hermione"

She did feel a little guilty for having written to her just to get information and about having kept silent her collaboration with the Institute. Madeleine could piece things together on her own, but she didn't want to betray the Institute's confidence. The contract had worked perfectly on her conscientious spirit, making her loyal to her employers.

Just as she was sending her owl to Madeleine, Oliver's owl came in. 

__

"Dear Miss Granger,

I'm writing to inquire about the developments that arose in your task in the past two days. You could start a detailed report for Dr. McNaulty, the concealment instructions are enclosed in your brief. However, I'll come and visit you as soon as my time will allow it, but certainly this week. 

With the risk of upsetting you again, I must stress the importance of your discretion about our interest in Egypt in your conversations with or letters to your friends.

Respectfully yours,

Oliver Wood"

The mention of the letters made her suspicious about the extent in which they respected her privacy. Maybe it was just a coincidence though, nothing to do with her correspondence with Madeleine. Maybe they just imagined she'd rush and write to Harry or Ron. 

"Yeah right! I shouldn't be so naïve. Of course they check my mail. And I actually should write to Harry and Ron. Not about this… but I should write them"

******* 

For the first time, Hermione was ready to receive Oliver when he came. Sensing this, Oliver chose to apparate in the hall and knock on her door. 

"Come in. Let me show you this" she pulled him inside agitated. "You'll never believe what I found out"

"Good evening"

"Yeah, yeah, good evening. You're so going to love me for this! I was looking through the reports of the previous expeditions and I noticed that they had always found clues about an oasis, but they always abandoned the leads for the silliest reasons. Once they had actually gave up because they ran out of funds. Or that's impossible since the only thing they had to do was scout the place for a couple of days and they'd know if it was a dead end or not"

"So?" he was still in the dark.

"Oh, can't you see this is a cover up? There was no reason to avoid searching that place. It's obvious that one or more wizards tried to mask the place's real importance…" her voice stopped in the middle of a thought. "I have a suspicion, but it's somebody's secret and I can't really talk about it. I think we should go and check it out?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, the Egyptians don't seem interested in exploring the place, but I think there might be something great behind this smoke screen. I can go alone, if you didn't want to accompany me. I just thought somebody else should be present. There are a lot of tricks surrounding these places. They didn't last for thousands of years unguarded"

"You are not going alone! We should owl Dr. McNaulty first. 

"I did. I sent him my report and my hypothesis. I think we should go."

"Don't you want to wait for his answer?"

"You send me here to search for the Osiris's parchment, right? So I think that's the way to go for it."

"And where is this place?"

Hermione saw this as a sign of acceptance. 

"It's not far. Look" she showed him on the map.

"I can't help notice that it doesn't show an oasis there"

"Well, it **was** an oasis some time ago. I think is still livable."

"You think? We're going there on your intuition all right, but we can't just jump in uncharted territory like that"

"Yes we can. We're Gryffindor!"

__

*So this was the ace up her sleeve. She counted on the proverbial Gryffindor recklessness. And, dammit she's right!*

"We're just going to take a look!"

She could kiss him! He was a nice guy after all. 


	7. The Garden of Eden

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

****

Chapter VII - The Garden of Eden

"OK, where are we?"

"We're… close…Yeah. I'm sure we're close"

"Of course you are" Oliver muttered unconvinced, advancing carefully in the complete darkness.

"Lumos" she whispered again, bur the wand still refused to obey.

"It doesn't work. What do these people have against wands?"

"I don't know. But whoever charmed this place used he same ideas as the people who built the University. Very few spells work inside, you know?"

"Inside the Morgana Institute it's the same. Do you remember anything from History of Magic about a school of thought who used this technique?"

"No, do you?"

"No. But there has to be a connection. We can't see anything, we should go back"

"Just a few more minutes! Pleeeeease! I know it must be here, very close. I feel the repellent force just as well as you, but don't you see? That means we're getting closer!"

"Fifteen minutes. If we don't find anything, we leave. Maybe we'll come back during the day."

Hermione liked the natural way in which he said "we". As if they had a common future.

"I don't think daylight would make much of a difference. Do you see the moon or the stars?"

"No. We're in a cave. And we're going downwards"

"Are you sure? I didn't notice that"

"Trust me, the floor has a slight inclination. We're getting close to some water, too"

"I don't hear it" Hermione was annoyed at this demonstration of clear perception.

"The humidity in the air. We're not in the desert. But we're not in an oasis either, there is no wind. We're in a damp corridor."

"Maybe we **should** get back"

"Come on, Gryffindor! The tunnel will end soon. The echo of our voices has changed"

When he said these words, the darkness became less compact. There was no light yet, but the rich black of the tunnel turned into a sea of shadows.

Hermione and Oliver were still holding hands. They had to apparate together, than the darkness forced them to maintain the contact.

"I'm getting rather used to this" Oliver said in an amused tone, squeezing fondly Hermione's hand.

She blushed and tried to pull it away, but he strengthened the grip.

"Don't be silly! I don't want to lose you in this place"

Their eyes, used to the dark, began to discern shapes in the grey air. They were indeed in a cave. Actually, they were getting out of a cave.

Oliver felt queasy. Something about that place was affecting him deeply. He tried to look at Hermione to see if she was all right. He couldn't see her face, but her voice was reassuringly concerned.

"Are you all right?"

"Not really"

"Does it feel the same as it did at the digging site?"

"I'm glad to see you care" he pouted a little.

"The more I know the better I can help you! So, does it?"

"Yes! But it's not as strong. It's more… subtle, insidious"

"What exactly is this sensation?"

"Have you ever been under Imperius?"

"What's that got to… Yes. In DADA. Why?"

"This feels like that. It's a nice feeling, a lack of responsibility, a weird freedom"

"Let's go back!"

"No, I really want to stay here. Can't you feel the beauty of this place. Let's stay here! Forever"

"Fight it! Oliver, you have to fight it! I don't know how to help you", then she started to think aloud. "The curse must be located in these rocks for centuries"

"Oh, look, the moon!" he exclaimed, happy.

"Oliver, stop it! Look at me!"

He did. Hermione's bright eyes made their way into his soul.

"You are so beautiful. I always wanted to tell you this"

"Come on" she tried to pull him back in the tunnel. "Let's go back"

"No. We should stay. It's all right. This place was meant for us. Everything is going to be all right in here"

He was sure of that. Oliver could feel the warm benevolence of that strange place. He had so many things to tell her. Everything he had always held back, since her Graduation day. Instead of mumbling all the sappy-corny-lovers' words he did the only thing that could express his feelings. He pulled her closer and gently crushed all her reasonable suggestions and her protests with a kiss.

Hermione's head was spinning, trying hard to find an answer in all the books she had ever read, feeling useless in front of Oliver's condition. She didn't understand what he wanted to do. She thought he was leaning over to tell her something. His kiss was a surprise on many levels.

Her lips were warm, smooth, sweet, vibrant. He felt her surprise as a rejection, but her body reacted before her mind figured things out. She kissed him passionately, giving him a sensation of perfect bliss.

His lips were dry, firm and domineering. She was drawn into the rapture of the kiss with a wild desire. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her against his body. She started to caress his face, timidly, learning his feature with the tips of her fingers.

Caught in the turmoil of their sensations, neither of them heard anything. After several minutes of passionate kissing, Hermione tried to get back to reality. She looked behind her, but the exit of the tunnel was nowhere to be found. She tried to tell Oliver, but his caresses made her postpone the bad news indefinitely.

~~~~~ 

In Hermione's chamber, Madeleine de Bricassart apparated almost swearing.

"I can't believe you actually took the trouble to make an anti-apparition barrier!"

To her surprise, the room was empty. She looked around, but Hermione wasn't in.

"I can't believe I took the trouble to pass her anti-apparition barrier and she's not here. I'll write her a note. It will still scare her, but I shan't have the pleasure to see her puzzled expression"

The woman approached Hermione's desk and the first thing she saw was a map of the desert. The location marked on the map freaked her out completely.

"Shit! I forgot about that!"

She apparated in the same spot as Hermione and Oliver had apparated two hours ago. The place was obviously familiar to her. 

"Amun" she muttered and the tunnel lit up slightly. 

Madeleine ran to the exit. Her worst fears were true. The tunnel was blocked. 

"Why didn't you try it last week?!?"

She dissaparated to Gizeh. She debated with herself several minutes, but the conclusion could be only one.

"She's my only friend. It's the least I can do for her. I'll deal with Seth later."

~~~~~~

A good half an hour later, Hermione gathered enough strength to break the enchanting embrace.

"Oliver, it's something wrong with this place. The tunnel is sealed now"

It was Oliver's turn to fight the powerful urges stirred inside him. Knowing himself well, he was aware that his behaviour had been influenced by external forces. The embarrassment of his lack of control fought the pressing need to lose the control again. 

"Something's definitely out of order. I don't know what came over me. I'm…"

"It's all right!" she reassured him, half disappointed with his recant. "We should focus on getting out of here"

"Yeah" he agreed. *_I'm hopeless. I can't believe I took it back. Whatever came over me, I did what I wanted to. Now she's gonna be mad at me again._* he thought, somewhat annoyed with himself.

They kept "dancing" like that, in and out of the dangerous topics, until the dawns brought light to the place. They were amazed to discover a real paradise surrounding them. Trees were heavy with fruits, oranges and apples, bushes of white and red roses were sprinkled all over the perfect green grass, the sun was rising on an impeccable serene blue sky. A cheerful spring was making its way through this paradise.

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!" Hermione whispered.

Oliver chose to wisely ignore the quotation.

"That tunnel was not exactly a tunnel, was it?"

"She built the strangest portkey!"

That was not something to ignore. Oliver was weakened by his internal struggle to keep his hands off Hermione, but he found the energy to ask her.

"Are you going to share that with me? I think we're pretty damn beyond secrets now!"

"I'm not even sure. I had a friend at Hogwarts, Madeleine de Bricassart. She told me some legends, about a powerful Egyptian witch. Apparently she… lived for many centuries, long ago, like 2,000 BC or something. This is the kind of thing that witch would do. I think she left a lot of interesting places, I think she knows about the Osiris parchment and about that valley we're searching with the Egyptians and about this place. The thing is… if she built this place, it is a way out. She was strange this way"

"I wouldn't put much stock on what she says if I were you" Oliver regretted the words as soon as he saw her face _*I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that!*_

"What do you know about Madeleine?"

"She works for the Med-jai in Gizeh. Her parents are working for the Morgana. It's an odd combination"

"Very few people ever heard of her. It's strange you're one of them. Anyway, Isis was very careful to leave a loophole to whatever spell she cast. It was something totally unegyptian about her"

"Not much of a secret"

__

*I'm a very tactful person. And a pretty good liar to boost* she thought, but she was not pleased with herself. "Let's sit for a while. I'm tired"

Oliver led her through the roses. They sat, with their backs leaning on a tree. 

"And hungry"

Oliver stood up and picked an apple (what else?). He offered her the beautiful, flawless red apple. 

"Thanks"

He tried to look away. The image of her teeth sinking in the flesh of that fruit stirred those instincts again. He fought them, very gentleman-like, going to pick more fruits. Jumping all over her in time of need was not fair play. He came back with apples, oranges and grapes, but Hermione was more tempting than ever.

"I'll have a dip now" he informed her right before getting out of sight.

__

*So it's not just the apparition! That's he's style* Hermione commented to herself his habit of vanishing from underneath her eyes. 

Contrary to Oliver, Hermione was only slightly affected by the magic built in that place. Unfortunately for her self-control, thinking of him, naked and wet several feet away, made her just as aroused as he was. 

She tried to keep her mid busy, casting different spells and swearing the futility of her wand. She tried to remember anything Madeleine had ever told her about Isis and the old ways, but nothing useful came to mind. 

Half an hour later, she heard Oliver's voice behind the tree.

"Any luck?"

"No. Nothing works!"

"I'm drying up and I'll be there in a minute."

She heard him bite an apple and it was her turn to think of the earlier kiss, to think of the way the drops of water were sliding on his naked body. She blushed, not used with such impure thoughts, with such burning hunger for a man's body. 

"This place is amazing though. Where do you think we are?" he asked her, disturbing her hot fantasies about wiping the water off his body with her lips.

"No idea. I can see where the idea for the place came from."

"Ay?"

"The Bible. A Muggle best seller. This is the Garden of Eden. She always had a silly sense of humour"

"You seem sure this Isis is the author!"

__

*I am and when I'll get my hands on her I'll strangle her!* but she said only "It's the only logical explanation. And, I'm sorry to say, this place has no connection whatsoever with what we were looking for."

"Why do you say that?" 

Oliver came into view. He was properly dressed, but his hair was still wet. He looked ever so yummy. 

"Was the water fine?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I think I should have a swim, too"

"NO" Oliver reacted very quickly.

A nude Hermione two steps from him was more than he could bear.

~~~~~~~ 

Thank you for the reviews! Always appreciated!


	8. Fair Game

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

This chapter is posted temporarily, because I'm not really comfortable with writing smutty scenes with Hermione and Oliver. As a proof, it didn't come out very well. The scene belongs here, but I feel I got it wrong. Hopefully, there will be time for a rewrite. 

****

Chapter VIII -Fair Game

"I think better when I'm in water. Some of my best ideas came when I was in the bath-tub"

__

*By Merlin, what does she think she's doing to me? She's lucky I stopped the first time, but I don't know how much of this I can endure! This place is melting my every ounce of self-restrain…*

Hermione could see the struggle on his face, but she misinterpreted, as usually. 

"How are you feeling? Does it hurt you?"

She was very close to him now. When she stretched her hand to touch his face in a futile attempt to soothe him with a chaste caress, Oliver jumped back. 

"You better go have that swim. Maybe you can figure a way out of here"

Misinterpreting other people's reactions was something of a way of life for Hermione. She saw his retreat as a rejection.

__

*Now that the sun is up, he sees me and not even her magic can make him stand my touch. He was honest in Paris. He can't understand why a man would waste his time with me on any other subject than work*

She walked up the river until she found a small pond, surrounded by thick rose shrubbery. The air was scented and she soon felt as comfortable as she was in the Hogwarts prefects' bathroom. One of the few spells she could cast without her wand was the Thorsen musical spell. She projected "Mad about you", performed by Sting and closed her eyes. 

The sound alarmed Oliver, who came running. A man's voice resonated all around and he couldn't see the source. The alertness caused by a possible danger neutralised for a moment the uninhibiting effect of the Garden. He instinctively jumped into the pond and swam towards Hermione.

"What are you doing?" she cried out outraged.

"Get out of there! Don't you hear it? There is someone else here"

"It's just a simple charm. It helps me relax" 

"I thought you couldn't do magic!" 

"Will you get out of here!" 

Only this second shout made him notice the situation they were in. She had backed away to the deeper part of the pool, trying to hide her nudity in the murky green waters. He could only guess the shape of her body under the water. 

Her long wet hair seemed black. It framed her face, now purple with embarrassment. Her eyes were sparkling with rage. This picture had a very arousing effect on him. Oliver felt the same strong urge to kiss her. 

He smothered her cries with a long, passionate kiss. This time though, Hermione resisted his embrace. She was not in the best position to do so, since her own feelings prompted her to give in. Oliver's hands were getting more daring by the second, gliding down on her body, in spite of the struggle she put on. His perfect caresses were bringing her to the edge of sanity. She felt her body melting under his touches, freeing her spirit. He was the one thing she waited for her own life. He was the One. The other half of her. She wanted to become one with him. Her will was softening. She considered responding to his embrace with the intensity she felt. But her conscience pushed away this temptation. As much as she wanted Oliver, this was not Oliver. He would never touch her like that. He'd never hold her with such passion. Oliver would never shove his tongue into her mouth like that.

__

*Nice boys don't kiss like that* 

Hermione's body felt vibrant in his grip, her hits seemed light on his muscular body. She gave the sensation of a bird, trying to get away from a child's fist. 

Her constant opposition ended with annoying him enough to pull her out of the water. 

He dragged her on the smooth grass and he continued ravishing her mouth. His hunger became more intense with every new touch. The barrier of self-control was broken. There was nothing to keep him now from satisfying this burning lust. He spread her legs and was prepared to take off his clothes when he heard her.

"Please stop, Oliver" Hermione sighed, worn out from the fight.

This last plea penetrated Oliver's conscience sharper than the scratches on his back, more vividly than her attempts to push him away physically. 

He looked at her again. She was still the most beautiful and most arousing woman he'd ever seen, but he noticed the tears in her eyes. He looked at her wrists. The red impressions of his fingers were distinct on her white skin. He saw her lips, swollen from his violent kisses. 

He got up and ran away, without looking back, without apologising. Hermione got dressed quietly. She wasn't mad at him. Something in this place made him lose his mind. But she was not sure she could reject him again if he tried. 

She had to find the exit. She made some more calculations, but nothing in her years at Hogwarts prepared her for dealing with ancient Egyptian magic. Knowing Madeleine, the spell had a way out, but not an easy one. After all, Madeleine's prey was not a ordinary one. 

~~~~~~ 

The evening was falling over the garden with such a magnificent grace that impressed even her practical mind. She found Oliver where they arrived the other night. He was sitting on a rock, staring blankly at the sealed mountain. Hermione knew he was not thinking about the exit. 

"It wasn't your fault"

He jerked in his seat. He wanted to run away again, but he knew there was no point. This beautiful Garden was a trap. And he couldn't run from his conscience.

"I…" but the words failed him.

"There's no need for that. It wasn't you. It's this place"

He still wanted to beg forgiveness on his knees. She sat next to him. She smelled of roses and oranges. He fought the shame of another wave of arousal. He couldn't accept her forgiveness. He was not worthy. 

Hermione stood next to him, knowing that she had no way to get him through this. She just stood next to him, showing him an unconditional trust. She restrained the need to pet him. Her touch, as gentle as could be, would feel like a slap on the face, not a comforting gesture. 

"Did you think of a way out?"

The words came out like boulders. The guilt was a crushing burden. Nothing in his beaten voice showed any trace of the glamorous Gryffindor Quidditch star. 

"No"

Hermione's voice showed almost the same level of despair. 

The moon was shining on their heads when they heard the noise.

~~~~~~ At the same time, on the other side of the tunnel ~~~~~~

"It doesn't work! You forgot the incantation!"

"Will you shut up and concentrate! You're doing it wrong. I can't believe how clumsy you can be outside your lab"

Madeleine de Bricassart showed Professor Snape for the fifth time the way the words were pronounced. 

"Why am I helping you anyway?" Snape had been annoying her like that the whole day. "I should report you to the Ministry of Magic for what you did to me!"

"You do it because you're such a swell guy!" she smirked at him. 

"Flattery will get you nowhere"

"And because you'd be embarrassed to say that one of your students was able to stun you"

"You're not my student. You've never been my student, come to think of it"

"It's not what the Hogwarts register says. Listen, are you gonna focus or what? You can punish me later"

"Detention" he grinned at her. 

They said the spell again. The rock wasn't moving. 

"Are you sure…."

"I'm sure" she cut his words yelling. "Hold me" she whispered.

"Excuse me?" 

"When I put the spell I was… well… in love… So maybe…"

"Pretexts" he sneered, cocky, but he followed her indication.

As soon as the entranced was clear, she jumped out of his arms.

"Hermione!!" she yelled before she saw her friend few feet away.

"Madeleine"

The girl ran to her friend.

"How did you know?"

"Will you come out of there or what? You can interrogate me in a more appropriate surrounding"

"Right. Oliver, let's go"

Watching the young couple, Madeleine sighed quietly, relieved. Her work was still intact. The ages hadn't damaged her tissue of spells.

~~~~~ Hermione's chamber, Cairo ~~~~~~~

"I think we're all entitled to some explanations" Snape began the cross-examination.

"Fire away" Madeleine smiled over her cup of tea.

"What was that we were trapped in?" Hermione asked.

"I thought you figured it out by yourself"

"I have my suspicions"

"That was a honey trap. Mr. Wood, I know you work for the Morgana Institute, but I need to know if you can keep a lid on what you'll hear tonight"

"Not if it's damaging for the Institute"

"I know the clause in your contract. It's not damaging. But they would be very happy to find out this. Anyway, if you don't want to tell them, the contract by itself can't force you to disclose"

"You seem to know a lot about it" Snape noticed, ironic.

"My parents work for the Institute" she eluded the tease. "Mr. Wood"

"OK" he said, wanting to learn more about the Garden.

"Well that place was designed to bring people together. It's something like a zone free of the inhibitions of the every day life. Some time ago, there was this witch, Isis, who was in love with a man. The problem was that she was a slave and he was her master. So, he wasn't supposed to _look _at her. Not more than once, anyway" she added with a smile. "So, she bewitched the tunnel to lead to a distant glade, on the Kilimanjaro. She made a rudimentary port key that transported them there"

"And what happened to them"

Oliver was surprised to see Snape asking that question.

"They lived happily ever after… No, they hated each other after the first month. They broke up. She ran out of Egypt, found shelter in Greece… I don't remember very much of the story"

"How did they get out?" Hermione's scientific mind was not satisfied.

"The port key reappears every six months" 

"Did they have any children?"

Snape was asking the strangest question, Oliver thought, but his mind soon turned to his situation. It was a very reasonable supposition, taking into account what had almost happen between him and Hermione.

"No. They never had children… Well, it was an interesting evening, but I have work in the morning. Good night everyone! Hermione, I'll come again this week. If you'll still have me"

"Oh I actually want to sit down and talk to you!"

That sounded like a threat! But Madeleine smiled, happy to see the old curious Hermione back in action. 

Snape dissaparated at the same time, leaving Oliver and Hermione alone again. 

"I got to go, too" he said with his eyes fixed on the carpet.

"Oliver" her voice was warm and understanding. "You are my friend. I know you didn't want to harm me. That wasn't you. Let's forget about the whole thing!"

"Maybe we'll never talk about it again, but I can't forget it. And I don't think you can either" he said calmly _*And you shouldn't be so sure I'm your friend. Because it was me, acting like that. I still want to do it, but I don't have the luxury of having my conscience temporarily suspended*_ "Good night"

And poof! he was gone.

~~~~~~~~ 

Thank you for the reviews! 


	9. Intermission

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling, except Madeleine, who is the star of my very first story (a Snape fic, shoot me!). 

Just in case you don't have the patience to read the 20 chapters of that story, Madeleine was at Hogwarts in Hermione's seventh year (my POV). She was a reincarnation of Isis (and all her following shapes - about 150 consecutive lives), inheriting the ancient witch's powers and memories, Snape being a part of these memories. Anyway, Isis was an Egyptian witch and I liked playing with the Ancient Egypt, so this felt like the perfect setting for Hermione and Oliver's love story. 

****

Chapter IX - Intermission

~~~ The morning after ~~~

"Knock - knock" Hermione read the message dropped by the owl.

She took off the anti apparition barrier and Madeleine materialised in the room. She was carrying a tray with steaming coffee and French croissants. 

"Good morning" she bid in a humble voice.

"I bet" Hermione retorted in an arrogant tone. 

She had the upper hand for a while and decided to use it.

"Do you want to have breakfast and talk later or you'll have coffee with a side of grilled Isis?" Madeline invited the outburst.

"What were you thinking??? Why didn't you take the spell down in the next life?"

"The coffee's getting cold"

"These tactics are wasted on me. I'm waiting"

"Because I forgot, OK? I did have other concerns you know. Surviving wasn't all that easy three thousand years ago! Wars, plagues, all sort of shit"

"Yeah, right! How many wars did you get involved in? You weren't anywhere to be found when Voldemort appeared!"

"I was wondering when will you get around to lecture me about it"

"Come on, you know I'm right. You let us do all the work, although you knew ways to stop him"

"We've been through this! It's all about keeping the balance. Why don't you ask me what you really want to know?"

"The honey trap. How come no one found it before?"

"They did. At least, I suppose people did find it. But they were happy to find it. Maybe it served its purpose. Just because it didn't for me… Anyway, it wasn't s designed for the British, obviously! You people looked as though you were actually trying to get out. What was that all about?"

"What do you mean? You think we should've been happy to be there?"

"Well… yeah" Madeleine was puzzled. "The Garden doesn't appear if there wasn't a powerful emotion to trigger it"

"Excuse me?" 

"The Garden appears when two people… you know… have feelings for each other"

"You MUST be joking!" it was Hermione's turn to be confused.

"I did tell you the Isis story. So I thought one way to reverse his curse would be to use a similar one. Its purpose was reuniting lost lovers"

"Speaking of that, what's going on with you and Professor Snape?"

"That's another story. Please, don't try to change the subject. Was there something that could trigger the sealing of the tunnel?"

"It might have been" she tried not to think about the kisses.

The woman smiled, sympathetic. Come to think of it, Oliver Wood was quite a good match for Hermione. 

"What was the actual effect the spell had on its victims?"

"Why, Hermione, I am surprised at you! Thought you've figured it out all by yourself!" Madeleine teased her. 

"Humour me!" 

"It's supposed to get people more in touch with their real feelings. When someone doesn't admit what he really feels…"

"Does it intensify those feelings? Could it be wrong?"

"I didn't actually have time to go through the crash tests, you realise. And my earlier works proved to be not quite infallible, you know…"

"The Dementors… Yeah, I know" Hermione was not very happy with that, but it verified her assumptions.

"Does it affect men and women the same way?"

"Oh, no! Women are less susceptible to be affected, naturally"

This was also a confirmation for her theories. 

"Anything else?" Madeline/Isis asked, in an agreeable manner. 

"Oh, yes! Leaving aside your reckless manner of performing magic - you should have your license revoked, girl! - I do have some questions for you"

"You really shouldn't make jokes about my magical abilities. Some people actually tried to _revoke_ them, as you so kindly put it"

"As I said in my letter, do you know anything about this valley of the spirits"

"Yeah, that… The Morgana got to it, ay? Well there was a battle, long ago, inside the African Magic community. Lots of dead people. Messy business. They were almost wiped out after that. It took them millennia to regroup their forces. Anyway, the battlefield captured their spirits and all the people receptive to that energy can sort of recharge their power at that site"

"Why can't pure blood wizards stand it?"

"The concentration of energy is overwhelming for their senses. In the their blood, they receive a quantity and quality of magic that Muggle born wizards don't have."

"Cool! Does that have anything to do with you personally, or you just heard the story"

"Well…It's sort of my doing"

"What?" Hermione was all ears.

"When I lived around here, in my brand-new Isis skin, I was rather careless with magic. Much more than I am these days! And a group of very respectable citizen, wizards, of course, decided that I was a danger and tried to erase my powers. I disagreed…"

"You started it??"

"Sort of"

"You were so mean" Hermione smiled, hoping she used the past tense for the right reasons.

"I wasn't a Slytherin by mistake, you know" she grinned. "Back to the present, you people best be careful handling that place. If the likes of the Dark Lord learn to manipulate it… it might get messy again"

"You'd know"

"Hermione, I'm being serious. I know you work for the Morgana and you're exploring the site. I was so caught in my last couple of lives that I overlooked the safety precautions"

"You do know we cooperate with the Egyptians on this project, don't you?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them. I can handle my own people. You white barbarians are the danger" 

Under her smile, Madeleine was truly concerned. Hermione felt it, but could do nothing to ease her mind. Before she could say anything, her friend asked:

"Are you expecting a visit?"

"No. Why?"

The knock on the door answered her question.

"I better be off. Pop in and see me while I'm still in Egypt. Bye!"

__

*Dissaparition sucks!* Hermione thought, finding herself suddenly alone in the room. _*I didn't ask her about the Osiris papyruses! She must know something about it*_

She heard the knock again.

"I'm coming" she yelled, putting on her dressing gown. 

She opened the door to see Bill Weasley. 

"Hi! I hope I didn't wake you up"

"No, don't worry" _*Somebody else had this idea before you*_ "What time is it?"

"Around eleven"

"Oops. I overslept"

"Busy night?"

Hermione blushed. The last two nights had been quite animated. 

"I came to take you to a Quidditch match. Would you like to come?"

For Hermione, Ouidditch meant Oliver. But if she knew anything about him, he wouldn't come by for several days. Not until the job would force him. 

"Sure. Give me ten minutes to get ready"

She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. The cosmetic charms took care of all the physical marks Oliver had left on her body, but she could do nothing about the emptiness inside. After his embrace, she felt hollow, as though a part of her was torn away. 

__

*Life goes on*

Her image in the mirror showed nothing of the turmoil inside. Nothing of that intense longing, which brought her to the brink of tears. 

"Let's go!"

"You look great" Bill greeted her with an admiring eye.

~~~~ Oliver's flat ~~~~~ 

As soon as they left the chambers, Oliver's tracking device glowed. 

"Oh, where is she going now?" he asked himself. 

He looked at his map of the Cairo University campus. This was charmed to show everyone who was on the premises, like the Marauders' map. 

"Does she EVER listen to me?" he cried out annoyed to see her leave with Bill Weasley. "Didn't I tell her plain enough to stay away from him? I have to go there again. It's blasted Sunday! I thought I earned some peace and quiet"

The reason he was upset was not the exhaustion as much as the guilt. He'd been up most of the night, thinking of the way he had nearly raped her. Nevertheless he had a job to do. Neither that, nor Hermione's very safety was something to be trifled with. All his reluctance shouldn't keep him from watching over her. Or just watching her, but this was no the kind of thought he allowed himself.

Oliver put on his invisibility cloak and apparated several feet behind Bill and Hermione. He was huffing and puffing for having to tail them on a Sunday morning, instead of going to a Quidditch match. He was swearing coarsely until the sight of approaching a Quidditch field dazzled him. 

He watched them all through the game. He chose not to stay close to them, so he was only guessing what they were saying to each other. No matter how little he actually understood from their conversation, one thing was certain. They were having fun together. Hermione had never been so relaxed around him, she didn't smile very much and she didn't laugh at all. Oliver hated the idea that the two of them could be a couple. In spite of his commendable efforts, he was jealous. 

~~~~~~ 

Thank you, blackroseangel69, Juvenus, MrsBigegrstaff, Lauren, Babystar, Theed and hannah! 

I hope all of you are still following the story. 

About the delay, it seems I just can't write more than a chapter/week, try as I might. 

Enjoy!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling

****

Chapter X 

"Have you talked to Ron lately? How is he enjoying the University life?"

"I went to the Burrow last week. Apparently he and Harry are quite happy there. They do the «marketing tests» for the twins' inventions. Mum lectures them as often as she cam, but I think she's secretly delighted with the tricks shop"

"I can't wait to go on a shopping spree in Diagon Alley!" 

She was thinking of all the money she was making now that she was a working woman. For a second, an image of Oliver accompanying her in and out of shops flashed through her mind, but she knew better than that. He was NOT thinking of her that way. 

"You're not a Quidditch fanatic, are you?"

"No, it's not that. Well it's that, too, but I'm a bit worried about the Dark Arts class" she lied. _*I was fantasising over Oliver Wood*_ her conscience pinched her. "They actually have the same teachereach year. Very scary!"

"Oh, come on, Lupin is hanging on very well for the last two years" he smiled back at her. _*She's so nice. I can't believe I'm spying on her. I'm such a heel! She can't possibly do anything wrong. I should've told Percy to shove this assignment…*_ but she interrupted his thoughts with one indiscreet remark.

"I feel my powers are expanding" _*Did I just say that aloud? What's the matter with me? If Oliver heard this, he'd kill me*_ "Maybe I'm just growing up" she tried to fix it.

Oliver jumped out of his seat, infuriated. He clung to his invisibility cloak, trying to keep calm. 

__

*She didn't just do that. She and her abilities belong to the Institute. It's not Bill Weasley the one she should run for advice if something like that was happening to her. If she breaths one word about the Valley I'll set her on fire!*

The simple "Lacarnum Inflamare" was on the tip of his tongue. She'd start screaming, running, anything but she'd stop talking!

"What do you mean? Can you give me an example?"

"Not really. My spells work better. They're stronger. Nothing extraordinary. Don't know why I brought it up" _*Because you were thinking of the effects the Valley of Men Nefer has on you. I wish she hadn't told me about that!*_

"If you feel it, there must be something to it. You're not one to imagine things"

"Yeah… I'm always with my feet on the ground"

Everyone seemed to have an idea about what she was really like. _"You're not one to be lost for words"_ Oliver told her once. Using exactly that loquacity she snowed on the subject in front of Bill. 

Oliver advanced carefully next to Hermione and whispered in her ear. 

"As soon as the match is over you return to your quarters and wait for me!"

To his satisfaction, she was startled, but didn't disclose his presence there. She just nodded. 

~~~~~ 

Oliver was drinking his tea in a Parisian café trying to calm down and give Hermione time to get nervous. He wasn't sure how was he supposed to deal with this situation. He felt like he was the last person to lecture Hermion Granger, but it was a part of his job. McNaulty made him understand just how important her mission was. They tried to disguise its significance in front of the Egyptians sending a novice witch, but they knew it was more to Hermione than met the eye. She was so much more than an attractive young woman. This label belonged to Oliver. McNaulty probably hadn't even notice she was a woman! 

~~~~~ 

__

*What does he think he's doing? I don't want to stay and wait for him all day! He should just come and preach me! Like he has anything to preach about. What was he doing spying on me? What gives him the right to tell me who I can talk to?… But he was right, wasn't he? I did do something foolish…I didn't tell Bill about the valley, but I did let something slip…I'll write an owl to Madeleine*

She wrote ten words, then she changed her mind. 

" I should talk to her"

She was about to dissaparate when Oliver grabbed her arm. 

"It's not a good idea"

"You took your time! I've been waiting for an hour"

"I had some things to sort out"

"Like finding a good reason to explain you spying on me!"

__

*The attack is the best defence* Oliver smiled inward, thinking of his Quidditch days. "I warned you I had to keep an eye on you. Apparently you didn't understand what it is that you have to do here. It's more than a nine to five job"

"That doesn't give you a right to invade my privacy. I know it was stupid of me to tell Bill something like that, but whom did I have to talk to? You?"

"No matter what has happened between us, your well being is my responsibility. You shouldn't be afraid of me. I know that I can tell you a thousand times I regret it and it won't make things all right. But I hoped you trusted me enough know it will not happen again. If you are sure you can't work with me, just tell me. There has to be a way out of this"

"Did you give me the chance to trust you? You should've been here this morning, not Bill. You should have made me feel it was safe to talk to you. You've always treated me like a burden, like an unpleasant duty. How could I come to you and tell you something as personal as that when you try to avoid talking about the one personal experience we shared. It happened, it wasn't your fault, we have to deal with it"

"And just how are we supposed to do that?"

"I don't know, but we should be friends"

"I thought we were. Obviously, I was wrong. Now tell me about the powers"

"They're increasing. I can do things I couldn't before. I feel it, no explanation, nothing I've read about in books. I think it has something to do with the Valley of Men Nefer"

"Why do you think that?"

"Err… I have a theory. That place is probably a conflux of magical energy. It seems to increase the magical abilities of the people who stay there"

"It's not exactly something new. Professor Snape made a similar remark when he was visiting the site. What are you getting at?"

"Is this the purpose of my being here? To find a source of energy? What happened that story about the Osiris papers? Was that a lie?"

"Don't be so shocked! We're not just a scientific organisation. We'd like to get some profits at the end of the day"

"But this can be misused. If someone like Voldemort…"

"He'd dead. Your good friend Harry took care of that"

"What if someone else comes along and decides to use it for dark magic?"

"So, what are you saying? That the world should stand still, not evolve at all for fear of someone misusing the discoveries?"

"No. I didn't mean that" she felt embarrassed by this common sense argument. "It's just that it would be good to have some guarantees"

"Life doesn't offer any or didn't you notice? Now can you go on about the powers?"

"What did Snape say? He was one of the researchers the Institute has sent?"

"He had about the same theory, but no one put any stock into it, because he was sick as a dog when he came back"

"Nice picture" she grinned maliciously. "Anyway, I noticed that I can do magic in here. I can use the wand and everything. This is supposed to be impossible inside the University"

"I know. Are you sure? What am I saying, of course you are. You should write to doctor McNaulty. I'm not very helpful in this area"

"About Bill…"

The jealousy bit Oliver instantly. 

"You might be right. I don't know anything, but my instinct is warning me something is wrong. My instincts are not infallible, I thought Snape was the bad guy when it was actually Quirrel, but it's something odd about Bill. I wonder if you can check him up. You can follow me, I assume you can follow him"

"Does this mean you forgave my invasion of privacy?" Oliver smiled back at her, still awkward to talk to her like that.

"It's not like you're a peeping tom, is it? You were just doing your" _(*unpleasant*)_ "duty. And Oliver" she stopped looked into his eyes when he was ready to dissaparate "about the other thing… Don't worry about it. I know it wasn't you. There is nothing to forgive. It's like it has never happened"

He disaparated in silence, grateful for her words. He was not guilt free and never could be, but he was relieved that she was being such a good sport about it.

~~~~~ Oliver's bedroom ~~~~~

Hermione apparated in front of his bed. Oliver's first reaction was to reach for the wand. 

"You're not asleep I see"

He was speechless. She wore the cutest little black robe. Her legs looked amazing in the high heels. 

"_Accio_" she got his wand. "W_ingardium Leviosa"_ and the covers floated away from the bed, leaving him quite uncovered. 

Hermione sighed at the sight of his chiselled body. She came closer, sat on the edge of his bed and leaned over to kiss him. Oliver responded promptly, deepening the kiss, unable to control his desire. He wanted her and he wasn't about to waste this opportunity. He pulled her next to him in bed and unfastened her robes. His hand wandered down between her legs. 

The pleasure that exploded in her body at that touch woke Hermione up.

"That's all I needed" she said. More fantasies about him…"

She took a book and read herself to sleep. 

~~~~~ 

Thank you for the compliments. They're always welcome. 

About the spelling of "magi", I took in Elle's suggestion and changed it into "med-jai". I hope I did it in every chapter. 

It's a funny thing about that, when the idea of the African magical community came along in my story, I just tried to use another word for wizard/witch, so I used the plural of "magus", so, "magi". Only when I read her review I realised I inadvertently borrowed the concept from the film. No wonder it fitted so well in the story! I only used "The Mummy" for the feel of the place, since I've never been to Egypt and I read very few things about it. 


	11. Theories and Obstacles

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling

****

Chapter XI - Theories and Obstacles

The next morning, Oliver knocked at her door.

"Hello, you!" she said, sleepy.

"'morning. I tried to catch you before classes. Here! I got some books for you" he handed her some ragged old papers. 

"Thanks. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?" she took them and hid a yawn. 

"Yes. Thank you. I thought you wanted to get to school"

"Plenty of time. So, you've decided to show me you're trust worthy?"

Her smile showed him this wasn't meant as an insult. He gave her the sweet, awkward, crooked smile that made her feel her knees weak. 

"Something like that. Am I doing it right?"

"Close enough" she smiled back.

A warm feeling was growing inside Hermione, something else than the usual sharp desire. She was falling for his legendary charm. 

"There is almost a month until the valley will be available for studies… I think I should work on a new approach about the Osiris documents…"

"Can I help you?"

"I was getting to that. From what I noticed, the Egyptians have a habit to hide things in plain site, but they wrap the in a high concentration of magic. So, if I visit a site, I'd really appreciate your company. We could keep an eye on each other"

__

*Is she putting me in the situation of losing control AGAIN? Like that's not difficult enough to do having all my senses!*

She saw his reluctance, but went on. This was a way to get over his guilt and over her desire. As most plans, it was good enough in theory. 

"You're the only one I can trust with this, right?"

He had to concede the point. He had been the one hammering her about not trusting people outside the organisation and he wasn't comfortable going to his boss to tell him to send someone else to finish the job for him. 

"Yeah. Well, do you have any leads?"

"Not yet. But I'm confident that I'll come up with something. Sorry to provide the caffeine and run, but I have classes"

"It's okay. I have some work as well"

"Oliver" she stopped him disapparating. "Thanks. For everything"

"Not at all" he smiled awkwardly again while vanishing. 

****

~~~~~ About two weeks later

"By Jove, I think I've got it!" Hermione exclaimed around midnight. "Oliver!" she cried out. 

Her voice echoed from the walls of the empty apartment. This mirrored the void inside her. She was missing her friends, bit she was too proud, too grown up to admit it. This was the kind of thing that would make her run to the Gryffindor Common Room to find Ron and Harry asleep over an unfinished game of wizards' chess. 

She reached for the parchment, but her hand stopped in mid air. She wasn't one to write sentimental stuff, like _"I miss you guys so much!!!!"_. Nobody expected something like that from her. 

Instead, she decided to test the floo powder network. She lit a small fire in the decorative fireplace, threw the powder and as soon as it turned emerald green, she stepped in and uttered clearly: "Oliver Wood's flat"

~~~~ 

Oliver heard the movement in the fireplace. He let down the wand when he saw Hermione's image.

"Come in" he invited her. 

She walked gracefully out of the green flames, the way she did in so many of his fantasies. But he was strong enough not to show it. 

"A cup of tea?" he played on his role of host.

"Yeah, thanks. Listen to what I've got!"

He was watching her, sparkling with enthusiasm. She had the same "Oh, I know! I know! Pick me! Pick me!" attitude that drove Snape crazy. Oliver was watching her with mixed feelings. Again. He was never completely sure how he felt about her. He was obsessed with her body, days at a time thinking of nothing else than tearing her clothes off and making love to her until they were both exhausted and all of a sudden, he'd get concerned over how was she coping with the African climate or working nights in a row. His impromptu, after hours visits to her room made them get used to each other in a very intimate, but platonic way.

Hermione was half way through the explanation of her discovery when she realised it was rather late.

"You weren't asleep, were you?"

"No. It's just ten here. But you were up late I see. Cairo is GMT + 2. You do have school tomorrow"

"Papa, don't preach!" she wasted a Muggle quotation on him. "I did it for a higher purpose. As I was saying" she took no notice of his protests. "I was going through this silly old paper and all of a sudden it hits me. If they considered it so dangerous, why not just destroy it? Let's admit the religious reasons, they were afraid that the Gods might punish them. But how did they make certain that the document will not be destroyed over the years?"

Hermione shifted her undivided attention to the tea. She was analysing the flavour with her eyes closed, letting Oliver get more curious by the second. They'd been through these games before. 

"Enjoying the tea, are you?" he didn't let her win this time.

"They can't afford to keep it in a temple or something, trusting that the next generations will be as wise as them. So what do they do? They can't leave it in the wilderness, they hide it close to a human settlement. This Greek who travelled through Egypt during Cleopatra's reign and he mentions a strong opposition of the Med-jai to the proposed abandonment of a city infected with some plague. They actually get out of their self-imposed seclusion and help heal the Muggles"

"What city?"

"Bûr Sa'id. Port Said"

"Do you have a plan?"

"No" she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "But it's a whole new angle. Besides, I need your blessing"

"For?" he asked, worried.

"I'd like to talk to Madeleine. She knows a lot of myths and other stuff like that" Hermione tried to sell him the idea, without telling him all the truth. "I shan't tell her anything. I'll just ask the questions. Promise"

"All right"

"Oh, come on! I need all the help I can get with this. You agreed?"

"Yes. Well, she helped us the last time"

"You're very fair minded about this" she said, suspiciously.

"I trust your judgement" came his honest reply. 

"You're very kind" she felt the prick of the old he-just-likes-me-for-my-mind feeling. "I have to go now. See you when I get somewhere with this theory"

"Take care"

But, before he could say it, she disapparated.

****

~~~~~ A week later

Talking to Madeleine proved unfruitful. Her friend was too much in the habit of covering up things to reveal such information. She did get the feeling that she was right about this. 

She wanted to write to Oliver, but their relationship went beyond "Dear Mr. Wood" and not quite to "Dear Oliver". So she went on day dreaming about him. Maybe she shouldn't have been so damn ethical about things in the Garden. 

Oliver stuck his head through the door.

"You have an anti-apparition barrier, but you don't lock your door! Where's the logic in that?"

"Just slipped my mind" she said, not so absent-minded as she tried to appear. 

"You didn't any signs of life lately. Are you all right?"

She sighed.

"I'm getting nowhere with this. I can feel I'm right, but I didn't find out anything new. It's full of dead ends"

"Don't tell me! That's the sign of a cover up"

"I'm not paranoid. But documents I look up in the Library disappear, people I talk to seem to get amnesia after two questions… Besides, in a couple of days will be the time window for the valley, so I'll have no time at all"

"What do you mean books disappear?"

"They are misplaced, or borrowed, or plain lost"

"Are you up to a trip to Port Said? Just to get the feel of the place"

"Why, Mr. Wood, you're a believer!"

"All it took was a good influence. I read about that city. The magical community has always had a strong presence there. Unlike anywhere else in Egypt. Apparently they took a vow never to abandon that place. So, maybe there is something to your idea"

"It's odd that they didn't find anything all this while. They should have stumbled on the protective spell in so many centuries"

"What if there are no spells? You left your door unlocked, haven't you?"

"Wouldn't that be something! The papers laying in some old Muggle library with ancient cooking recipes. Let's go!"

****

~~~~~ Port Said

"You think we should look for the public library?"

"Didn't you say we're here just to get the feel of the place? I'm in no state to do serious research now"

"Are you feeling ill?" he inquired, concerned.

"No. But I'll have to do this sort of things for two days in the valley and I need to get some sleep"

"Fifteen minutes then"

"Tea, please"

They found a delicious place with a terrace. The past month spent together made the atmosphere a lot friendlier. The tension between them had eased to an agreeable level, both having learned to cope with the attraction. Hermione was acting almost the same way she did when she first looked at Harry differently. She was trying to turn a possible romance into a warm friendship. But she had never felt for Harry anything as intense as the lust she felt for Oliver. 

What Oliver regretted the most about this new feel of camaraderie towards Hermione was that he didn't get to hold her hand anymore. She got used to apparating at his place or at the Morgana and no longer needed his guidance. To his surprise, she seemed to pick up on this thought.

"Would you come to the site with me?"

"What did I do? Whatever it is, I'm sorry!" he joked. "No, seriously, why would you want me to come?"

"I'd like to know if your powers would increase upon exposure to the site. I'd like to figure a way to control this influence. It's the smart thing to do. But if you don't want to…."

"Snape spent 10 days ion the site. He came for 5 months and it nearly killed him. This happened about five years ago. You must remember, it was during that time that he was at his worst. Your friends endured a lot because of it. You wouldn't like me to turn into something like that now would you?"

"So it did increase certain traits of his character?"

"Is that what you heard from all I told you?" he pouted a little.

"Let me finish! That means you'll only get nicer" _*Did I just say that?*_

"Thanks. You could smooth talk a guy in doing… anything" _*Did I just say that?*_ "OK. I'll be at your place at the crack of dawns"

"You're sure about that? I don't want to force you!"

"You **cannot **force me! I'm gonna be fine. I can be just as pig headed as Snape if I want to"

****

~~~~ Daybreak, in the valley of Men-Nefer

"Hi, Hermione! Oh, look who showed up for a visit! Are you punished for something?" Mena Kalef teased him. 

"Hello, Mena. Hermione wants to test a theory on me"

"Power is nothing without control" Hermione recited a commercial, for Mena's amusement. "Did you get any ideas what to do next?"

"Not really. But you're right, we have to learn to control this place"

"Maybe we should call professor Snape. He has already been through this once" 

Oliver was getting dizzy. He felt Hermione's arm sneaking beneath his, supporting him. Her soothing touch made him bear the fog that was falling on his brain, numbing him. The loss of perspective scared him a little. He let her guide him through the blur. 

Half an hour later, he got used to the chronic nausea. The girls were still fussing over him, but not as concerned as he wished them to. They were performing all kinds of tests on him, getting blood samples and examining his reflexes. 

Time elapsed swiftly for Oliver. The forty-eight hours seemed a long painful haze.

~~~~~ 

Hermione dragged him into her bed. She had apparated with the semi-conscious Oliver in her apartment and had no energy left to send him to his place. It was more prudent to have him on close supervision anyway. He had taken the experience pretty bad. She went in and out of the shower as fast as her exhaustion allowed. 

Oliver was fast asleep in her bed and this time it wasn't a fantasy. She was too worn out to be in a fantasy. Looking at him, Hermione's heart was warming up to him again. He had earned her trust and affection in the last month, but his behaviour the past two days had earned her respect. She had asked him several times if he wanted to leave, but he had refused.

As much as she wanted to lie down beside him, Hermione's sense of proper won. She curled on the uncomfortable couch. An hour later, Oliver woke up form his restless sleep and his sense of proper made him carry Hermione in his arms and put her in bed, overcoming the same desire to stay next to her. 

~~~~~

Sorry I didn't get around to the obstacles as yet. They deserve a little peace and quiet, don't they?

Thank you for the reviews, all you nice people! The story goes on in my head, but I need to know that someone reads it to actually write it. Thanks for the support.


	12. Obstacles

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling

****

Chapter XII - Obstacles

"Good morning!" Oliver whispered in her ear, early Monday morning.

"Five more minutes" she pulled the sheets over her eyes.

"You've got classes"

"Whaaaat?" she yawned.

The smell of the coffee tickled her nostrils. She started sniffing the air like a puppy. Oliver brushed her hair aside and kissed her on the tip of her nose. 

"Wake up, sleepy head! It's a brand new day!"

"You're a morning person, aren't you?" she asked, resentful. 

Hermione was waking up with difficulty. She reached for the coffee cup. Inhaling its blessed aroma she tried to stay awake talking.

"You always want to get the best out of people, whether they like it or not. I remember what you put poor Harry through during your last year at Hogwarts. You made the team practise to death. It was the only time when I saw Ron actually happy not to be on the team"

"The point being?" he smiled at those memories.

"I'm not going to classes today? What's the worst that could happen?"

"That's an invitation for disaster"

"When did you become superstitious?" she didn't wait for an answer. "I was thinking of making another field trip to Port Said, if you're any better"

"You know I have other responsibilities besides you, right?"

"But I'm your favourite responsibility, right?" 

Her smile softened him completely. Still unsure of his feelings for her, Hermione was much more at ease in his presence now. Watching a guy throw up for two days in a row puts things in another perspective. 

"Finish your coffee and let's go!"

****

~~~~~ Port Said, at noon

"Very sorry. The library is closing for lunch. Very very sorry" the bracelet translated the man's words with a thick Arabian accent.

This was the eighth building they had tried, after three mosques, a museum, the town hall and two other libraries. They stopped on the same charming terrace.

"There's something wrong about this" Hermione pouted over her banana split. "Don't you get the feeling that we keep getting the doors slammed in our faces?"

"They haven't been exactly subtle about it. But that's the way they treat strangers"

"You want to make me sound paranoid. OK. I'll say it. Someone is trying to stop us"

"Welcome to my world!" he relished in this. "That's what I was trying to tell you from the beginning. We're not wanted here"

"_White barbarians_" Hermione whispered. "That's what Madeleine called us. The Africans don't trust us. We came here to conquer them, as we did everywhere else"

"You really think this is the time to talk about British imperialism?"

"No, not really. Theory is a refuge in front of the unknown"

"We should stop asking them for information. Let's just go in the library and look for answers"

__

*The good old days* Hermione thought of the days of prying about Hogwarts with her best friends. 

"I have an invisibility cloak" he added with a slick smile. "Common, Gryffindor, what do you say?"

"OK. How do we do it?" she grinned excited.

~~~~~ Inside the Library ~~~~~

Two grown-ups in an invisibility cloak had a lot less space than three kids. Oliver had never shared his cloak with another person, Hermione had lost the habit of doing that, so the first fifteen minutes they had to concentrate on walking close to each other without stumbling. 

"Sorry" whispered for the third time Oliver when he stepped on her foot again.

"Shut up!" was all Hermione could hiss, in pain. 

A Muggle came out of a room and was heading their way, so he took Hermione in his arms and pressed her against the wall with his body. The librarian almost brushed against Oliver's back. They held their breath, instinctively. The man was far by now, but they stood there, staring in each other's eyes, in a petrified prelude to a kiss.

"We'd better go" Oliver dispelled the tension. 

Hermione tried to get over the tingling sensation that was spreading all over her body. Her lips had felt the electricity of his desire, the spark that had in it to change everything they meant to each other. A beautiful hope blossomed inside her. Maybe her feelings were not unrequited, as she had feared. Maybe there was something in their connection that exceeded a professional relationship, something that exceeded friendship. Floating on the wings of this new found belief, Hermione paid less attention to the surroundings.

"Which way do we go from here?" Oliver asked her when they arrived in a room with three doors. 

Hermione tried to gather her thoughts, to listen to her instincts, but everything was blurred now by her feelings. She scanned the doors and made an educated guess.

"The one on the right"

They found a flight of stairs leading to the basement. Oliver charm-locked the door behind them. He wanted to get out of the invisibility cloak. The scent of her hair, her warmth in his arms, the way her body was undulating under his eyes, everything about her proximity was arousing him. Losing concentration was the last thing they needed. He had accepted to join her in this because he had to be with her. Not just because it was part of his job description. He **needed** to be with her. But he had to worry about her safety before anything else. 

Oliver thought of the way she looked at him earlier. She trusted him completely. There was no trace of rejection in her eyes, no trace of fear or disgust. He knew that adoring look in women's eyes, but something about Hermione made him think this time was different. It was something more than lust. He grinned to himself. It was lust, too. Just as much as it must have been in his eyes. 

The room beneath the library was another library. A darker library, filled with old books, jammed in old shelves. As soon as Oliver took off the cloak, Hermione started rummaging through them. A wave of enthusiasm muffled her other emotions for a while. She found treasures all over the place. 

Oliver decided to ask the silly question.

"Is IT there?"

She looked at him with an endearing smile. 

"That would be just too simple, don't you think?"

Of course it would. Oliver knew it as well as her, but he wanted to get her back to reality. He looked around the room when a strange configuration in the design of the walls made him curious. He was getting a closer look when part of the wall slid aside. 

"What did you touch?" he asked Hermione in the same moment when she exclaimed.

"Look, a book about Isis!"

She came near him, till holding the book. They were staring into a tunnel. 

"Shall we?" Hermione took the first step towards the entrance. 

"Another tunnel. I don't know… after the last one…" he thought of the honey trap.

"You've got a point. If this has anything to do with Isis… it could be another of her loaded traps" 

"Do you think it leads to the documents?" Oliver didn't want to come off as a coward.

"It's possible, but it would be too easy"

During their little debate someone tried to get inside. The Muggle was jiggling the doorknob, annoyed. This occurrence made the decision for them. Oliver stepped first into the tunnel, pulling Hermione after him. The wall silently slid back behind them, leaving everything as it had been. 

She could sense the tension in his body.

__

*When is he ever going to get over that silly incident?* "This is developing into a habit" Hermione joked in the darkness of the sealed tunnel.

Oliver relaxed a little, just as she intended. The girl was getting to know him very well. But he had no time to take comfort or be annoyed by this thought. Luckily, the wands were working perfectly here, so their whispers _"Lumos"_ lit the passage. 

__

*This is so romantic* Hermione thought of candlelight and what the two of them could do in that quintessence of romantic scenery. _*Snap out of it!*_ she pulled herself together when they reached another door.

__

"Alohamora" she whispered, but nothing happened.

It was Oliver's turn to smile at her childish attempt. 

"Oh, you have a better idea?" she sulked. 

"Actually, I do. _Nosce!_"

The spell made the door transparent. Behind that door was another room, which looked like an annex of the library. There were several desks, with stacks of parchments, inkpots and quills on them. The chamber appeared almost used. As if the scribes had only stepped out for lunch. The most prominent clues of time's passage were the lamps. The dust settled on them showed that they hadn't been used in a long time. 

"Do you think we can apparate in there?" Hermione wondered.

"We probably could apparate, but the question is, could we get out of there afterwards?" saying that, Oliver muttered several spells, unfamiliar to Hermione.

She was all ears, but nothing he was saying made any sense to her. When he seemed to have finished, he sighed. 

"I was afraid of that… The room is surrounded with spells. It's not protected against intrusions, whoever did the incantations made sure that the intruders wouldn't get out"

"How do you know that? What spells did you use?"

"Don't worry! It's not dark magic. The Morgana takes security very seriously, so they came up with all sort of spells to keep secrets and others to reveal such spells. We'll have to go back the same way we came. And no, we're not going into that room" he cut short her protests.

Oliver made the first door transparent and they waited for the librarian to leave the room. 

"We'll have to check it out eventually" she made a compromise. "But I don't think it has anything to do with the Osiris spells. Everyone agreed they were dangerous, I doubt they'd hire scribes to copy them"

"Does that mean we're still at ground zero about them?"

But Hermione didn't get the chance to answer because the Muggle had left and they got out of the tunnel. 

~~~~ Oliver and Hermione went to a restaurant to think about their next move ~~~~

"Let's recap! We assume the Osiris manuscript is here, we were denied access to all possible sources of information about the city's history. Who would want to stop us?"

"There is another question… Who knows we are here?"

Oliver made a good point.

"No one. You're the only person I've seen since we came back from the valley. Did you talk to anyone?"

"No. I didn't even send in my weekly report to the Institute. We only talked about this in my apartment and in yours. Every week or so, I check my flat for any signs of intrusion. When did you last check yours?"

"Never. Besides, I didn't have time to make any new friends here"

"What about the old ones?"

"Madeleine and Bill are the only people who visited me"

His look was speaking volumes.

"Oh, not this again"

"You said there was something wrong about Bill"

"Yeah, but innocent until proven guilty and all that. I don't think he's working for the Med-jai. About Madeleine, she's working for them, but not the way you think"

"I talked to professor Snape about her. I'm sure she has no interest to endanger the Institute. It's Weasley I'm worried about"

"You talked to Snape? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It never came up in the conversation. Anyway, my guess is that your apartment was under supervision. You usually lock the door, don't you?"

"YES. People can't just barge in" her voice trailed off. "But I didn't screen the place after I had visits"

"But **why **would Weasley watch you? It is common knowledge that you came here on a scholarship from the Morgana. The Institute holds a firm first place in magical research. Maybe our competitors are spying on us"

"So this could have nothing to do with the Med-jai? Who are the main competitors? Medici, the Italian organisation, the Russian order Ecaterina, who else?"

"The Americans have a couple of groups, but only Medici has extended its influence in Africa. The others go for the American and Asian territories. Still, I don't see Bill Weasley as a spy. He's too idealist for that"

"What a nice thing to say" they heard Bill's voice from the next table. "May I join you?" he came to their table with his cup of coffee. 

"Of course" said Oliver in his most polite tone. 

"You were going to get to the bottom of this. Eventually. So I decided to spare the waste of time and try to reason with you"

"You **were** spying on me!" Hermione was outraged.

"Don't take it personally, kid! I had to know what was the Morgana up to. We had information that they, I mean you, were about to do something very naughty"

"Who do you work for?"


	13. All Sorts of Revelations

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling. I borrowed 2 lines from "Bridget Jones's Diary"

**Chapter XIII - All Sorts of Revelations**

"Gringotts. Officially"

"And unofficially?" Hermione was seething.

"The Ministry of Magic. I never pictured myself working for the establishment, but what the hell, it's an interesting job!"

"Why would the Ministry care about our activity?"

"Ordinarily, the Ministry wouldn't interfere in your business, but you're looking for something that would better be left alone. Yes, I mean the Osiris papers. Most people think they're just fairy tales. Most of the few who've heard about them that is"

"I still don't see how is this the Ministry's concern" Oliver went on.

"If the papers exist, which is not yet ascertained, the spells contained in them would still be too powerful for this level of civilisation. After the Voldemort era, the Ministry isn't taking any chances"

"You must be joking!" Hermione exclaimed. "Are you trying to prevent us from making a huge discovery? Something that could prove a step forward in the way we understand magic and the limits of our powers? Why?"

Oliver smiled. About a month ago, she was the one who expressed doubts about uncovering the manuscript.

"Didn't you learn anything from the episode with the philosopher's stone? Something as powerful as that is more dangerous than it is useful"

"No one knows that! The documents might be dangerous, I agree, but it's a part of our past, our heritage. If we had the knowledge to create it, if we had the wisdom to hide it rather than use it foolishly, we have no right to keep it hidden, forgotten. Do you know exactly what it contains? Maybe we have already transcend that level, maybe we're more advanced now"

"You can't be that naïve!" Bill grinned. "What this people has forgot, we can't even begin to comprehend. Besides, the fact that Osiris was one of us is controversial"

"What?"

"Well, there is a theory... that he was _an alien_" he whispered the last word in his cup of coffee, slightly embarrassed.

"And you believe it?" Hermione looked at him, incredulous.

"This would explain a lot. The Ancient Egyptian civilisation was so amazingly advanced that it's odd the way the forgot so much of it"

"Yes, but..."

"Forgive my interruption" Oliver stepped in the scholars' discussion "but don't you think we should figure out what to do now? The Institute wants to go on with the research. The Ministry hasn't made any formal requests to stop the investigations, but people were made not to divulge information. What's going on?"

"The Ministry doesn't want to make it public. After all, this might be just a fairy tale. They swept the memories of everyone in Port Said. It was like a rerun of «Men in Black»"

"That and the fact that you don't really have the authority to forbid it" Oliver was very cool minded about the whole thing.

"Yeah, that as well" Bill smiled affably.

"So? What do we do now?"

"Do you want to give up the research, just because I ask you nicely?" they shook their heads, in a silent _no_. "Didn't think so"

"Then why bother asking?"

Hermione was getting pissed. All her hard work, not to mention the discovery, within her reach, to be abandoned... She hated this sort of frustration.

"Never hurts to check if the door is unlocked. As I said, the Ministry's eager to keep this under wraps, but if you persist in it, I'll just have to join you. Percy's boss is talking to the big knobs of the Institute right about now"

"He's gonna make them an offer they couldn't refuse" Oliver's voice was dripping with irony.

"Something like that"

Bill's cell phone rang at that cue. The Ministry of Magic, at Arthur Weasley's recommendation allowed its field agents to use whatever means necessary to mingle in the Muggle communities.

"Well, it's official! We're a team"

"We need the confirmation form our superiors"

"Of course. When you get back, you'll probably find the new directives waiting. See you both tomorrow! I hope you don't consider sneaking out on me an option. It would be an act of ill faith"

* * *

**Hermione's chamber, an hour later **

"What are we going to do?" she looked up from Dr. McNaulty's letter, which confirmed what Bill had said.

"What's there to talk about? They stroke a bargain and now we have to work with the Egyptians in the Valley and with the Ministry in Port Said"

Oliver laid back in her bed. He was not happy with the way things were going.

"You look tense" Hermione blushed when he discovered her staring at him. "Anything I can do to help?"

"I could use a massage right now" Oliver stretched his body, lazily.

Hermione climbed in bed, next to him.

"Then turn over" she ordered him.

Oliver kept his eyes shut. He wanted to feel her hands on his body. In different circumstances, he wouldn't have thought twice about saying yes, but this time... Well, this time it was Hermione offering the massage. His self-control was worthless around her.

The little devil inside him won. _I can enjoy her touch and not jump on her, ruining everything_ he lied to himself.

Oliver rolled on his belly, leaving Hermione to do her magic. This open invitation took her breath away. If she touched him, there would be no turning back. She was going to seduce him or lose him. She paused for a heartbeat. Her desire exceeded the affection. It was not the same as it had been with Harry. Harry's friendship was far too precious to risk. Oliver... well Oliver was a constant temptation. A sin that was worth burning in hell for.

"You wear too many clothes for this"

At these words, Oliver's body reacted promptly. Luckily, he was on his laying stomach, so she didn't notice the way his trousers were about to explode. He took off his robe and his shirt, making Hermione sigh at the sight of his naked back. He might have given up Quidditch, but he was wonderfully fit.

At the first contact between her fingers and his skin, Oliver shuddered. Hermione didn't notice because her own hands were shaking with desire and fear. She wished she had never started this. The old doubts came back.

_What if he doesn't wants me?_

She started rubbing his skin, firmly, trying to hide her urge to caress him. After five minutes, he moaned and she stopped, scared.

"Hermione, I think you'd better stop!"

"Am I hurting you?" her voice trembled.

Oliver turned around and immobilised her hands. He drew her closer, looked into her eyes and whispered, menacing.

"We may not be in the Garden, but that doesn't mean I'm dead. If you keep touching me like this, you'll have to accept the consequences"

She found his low, threatening tone deeply arousing.

"What are the consequences?" she flirted, feeling the heat rise inside her.

The man pulled her closer still. His lips were now so close to hers that she could feel the electricity spreading through her body. Hermione closed her eyes, unable to bear the tension, in anticipation of the kiss. She wasn't disappointed. Oliver pulled her to his chest, pressing her body against his while his lips were touching hers, in the gentlest of kisses. Only when he felt Hermione answering the kiss he dared to make it more intense, as his lust demanded. He clutched his hands in her hair, pulling it until she sighed in delicious pain. He took advantage of her instinctive reaction and slipped his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her sweetness, exploring her, learning her taste, her texture, her warmth.

He finished the kiss with a flick of his tongue over her swollen lips. He rolled her over placing himself on top of her.

"Wait a moment" she gasped, dizzy with the delicious sensations stirring in her body. "Nice boys don't kiss like that"

"Oh, yes, they fucking do!" he groaned, kissing her again.

Hermione was dying and was born again in the sheer pleasure of his touches.

"Who's overdressed now?" he murmured, nibbling at her ear.

A wave of delight washed over his body when her nails dug in his back at this suggestion. He lowered his head and launched an assault of kisses against her neck. His teeth were sinking in her white flesh with the voracity of a tiger and the tenderness of the summer rain.

He stood up a little, pinning her to the bed between his legs, while he was taking off her clothes and setting the atmosphere. With his right hand he unbuttoned her robe, with the wand in his left hand he turned off the lights. He took off her shirt and lit the candles. He turned on the music and walked slowly, on his knees until he was on the edge of the bed, sliding off her skirt. Oliver paused for a while, watching her in silence, intoxicated by her beauty. Her delicate, black lace lingerie soon vanished under his expert fingers.

He was not in a contemplative mood. His senses were whipped by a thousand sensations, all pushing him to act. He started memorising her body with his fingers and his mouth. With every caress, Hermione was reaching new peaks of rapture. Oliver's tongue circled her hardened nipple, his shadow beard bruising her breasts in an arousing friction. The arousal made her moan.

"Oh, Oliver, please"

"What pleases you pleases me" he made the effort of a lame joke. "Do you like it?" he asked while he was stroking her inner thigh.

She clutched the sheets in her fists, unable to utter anything else than

"Oh, God, please!"

Before the completion of their union, Oliver hesitated. This gave her time to organise her thoughts a little. Hermione wanted to give him as much pleasure as he had given her. She kissed him and let her hands wander all over his body, trying to take control of the game for a while, to show him just how much she wanted him, how much he had pleased her.

"No, darling" he stopped her gently, "this is all for you"

* * *

* * *

Thank you for your sweet reviews!

Please don't hesitate to point out the shortcomings of the story. I take them in consideration and do all I can to make the story correct.

Miss Perfectionist, Oliver was a keeper, I made the changes in the first two chapters.

Ryoko Blue, I upped the rating. You were right and I wanted to do it before, but it just slipped my mind.

Juvenus, I was happy to see you've appreciated my swiftness with the last chapter. LOTRHPLver, blackroseangel, thanks for sticking with me.

Lauren (is it Lauren or Luaren? You spelled it both ways in the reviews), I'd like to read your story - I've just discovered LotR four days ago - but I don't know your pen name. You could write me a mail or leave a signed review.


	14. An Air of Mistrust

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling. 

****

Chapter XIV – An Air of Mistrust

__

*Where do we go from here?*

The question lingered uncomfortably inside Hermione. 

__

*Was this a mistake? Giving up a nice, warm friendship for a night of hot sex?*

Hermione had woken up before Oliver and now she was looking at him, sleeping peacefully… He was beautiful. Her mind ran to Harry. During their adventures, she had slept more than once by his side and she could remember his restless sleep. 

Harry's daytime serenity was paid each night with dark fights against dark demons in dreams too dark for such an angel. She shook Harry's image away. They had chosen separate ways. What might have been had no place in a morning like this.

Oliver woke up in the empty bed. His heart froze for a second, thinking _*it was a just dream*_. But the reality took over. He was in Hermione's bedroom, in Hermione's bed…in Hermione's life…

He walked to the kitchen to see Hermione lost in thoughts over a cup of coffee. She was inhaling the steam as if it had magical proprieties. 

"Good morning" he said, softly kissing her on a cheek. 

"Morning" she smiled, brightening his day. "Coffee?"

"Thanks" 

It felt as awkward as their first meeting. The expectations, the fears and the mystery were just as thick as that day, in Hogsmeade. Now, they had to rediscover each other in this new light. It seemed that the months of working together had never existed. 

An owl broke the uncomfortable silence. The Bricassart seal made Oliver even more restless. That woman was up to no good. Hermione opened the letter and read it aloud.

__

"Dear Hermione,

You kept dancing around a subject I'd rather leave buried. I didn't want to talk about it and I still don't. Not for lack of trust. You know enough of my secrets and you still like me, so one more skeleton in my cupboard shouldn't surprise you. The reason I've been hesitant to talk to you is your association with the Morgana Institute. They're not bad, but their values can endanger my way of life. 

If you are absolutely sure you want to know that one big secret, ask me and I shall tell you. But you must be prepared for disappointment. Some things, no matter how important or how useful, do not pass the test of time. 

I do have the answer you're looking for. Be careful what you ask though.

This is about the ultimate proof of trust I have ever given. I trust you and your wisdom. 

Madeleine

P.S. Don't take too long to make up your mind. 

M. "

"You said you were not going to tell her about the job"

"I didn't. She figured it out"

"Anyway, how could she know something like that?" Oliver inquired, feeling safer, on familiar ground. 

"She knows things about the Ancient Egypt. She was really good at History of Magic"

Hermione was grateful for the way he accepted her chat with Madeleine. He could have lectured her for hours. 

"No one is that good!"

"She travelled a lot with her parents. She saw places and things we've only read about in books"

"So? You think we should go and ask her?"

"WE? I don't think she'd like that. Besides, we're supposed to meet Bill today"

"Yeah… I forgot about that particular joy"

Oliver was no longer jealous, but he couldn't shake the dislike for the man. 

~~~~~~~~ 

Bill was waiting for them in his classroom. He was browsing one of May Thorsen's most popular books "Spells of Illusion". Hermione couldn't help contemplating Madeleine's offer. One of her friend's past existences held the key to the Osiris papers, but was she entitled to ask this favour from Madeleine? Finding Bill in one of her books - because she knew very well that Madeleine's previous incarnation was May Thorsen - looked like a sign. She reminded herself she didn't believe in Divination and that sort of nonsense. 

"Hello! Are you ready for a trip in the catacombs of Port Said?" Bill greeted them.

"Why? You have any clues about the catacombs? You know something we don't know?" she asked.

Bill smiled.

"And probably the other way around. It's not like any of our employers are known for their transparence. But now that we work together, we should put our cards on the table"

Oliver puffed with mistrust. Their orders had been quite clear. They should work with the Ministry, but they shouldn't reveal more than it was absolutely necessary. He was quite sure the Ministry gave Bill similar directions. But was this the best way to work with someone?

"I took the liberty to get you out of classes today" Bill informed her on their way out of the University. 

"Oh. Right. Thanks"

Hermione had been so absorbed in her research that school was the last thing on her mind. She sneaked a peak at Oliver. He kept unusually quiet. She couldn't help miss the days when he had to hold her hand. Apparently, he didn't think their relationship should be common knowledge.

She could understand his doubts about Bill, but she still felt a little unhappy.

~~~~~~~

Having Bill around made the trip a totally different experience. They didn't have to sneak in the places they wanted to visit anymore. The Morgana Institute carried a lot of weight in the wizarding community, but they were required to keep a low profile in the Muggle world. The Ministry of Magic on the other hand, was forced to initiate and maintain continuous relations with the Muggles. In that respect, Bill was a lot of help. He didn't carry a badge or anything like that, but it was obvious that he had extensive training in dealing with them. How much that was due to the Ministry's training programs and how much was his father's merit, no one knew. The fact remained that he knew exactly what to tell to make the people open doors for them. 

Oliver and Hermione witnessed another demonstration of Weasley type smooth talking, which allowed them to enter the Town Hall.

"This is how far our theories went. I think I've been open enough for you to start trusting me. Now it's your turn to get us further"

Beneath the Town Hall was a maze. The Minoan decorations disclosed the approximate age of the construction. The Egyptian and Cretan civilisations had influenced each other, but that had happened in recorded history, not in the age of the myths when Osiris presumably lived.

"This cannot be contemporary to the Osiris papers, most certainly" Hermione unfolded her hypothesis aloud. "It is, however, built to hide something. Probably it's heavily booby-trapped. We should really watch our step"

"Do you think the traps still work after all this time?" Oliver was thinking about the Garden.

"There is no limit to good magic. It only grows stronger in time" said Hermione, lost in thought. "What is this writing?" she pointed to the wall covered with hieroglyph-like signs. 

"We couldn't figure it out yet. It seems older than the classical hieroglyphs, although the maze was built considerably later than the pyramids"

"I'd like to study them in the library" _*Ask Madeleine*_ she thought.

Hermione started drawing them on a notebook when Oliver pointed his wand at the wall, saying _"idem est"_ and a thin sheet of paper with the strange signs copied exactly peeled off the wall, leaving the writing untouched. 

"Impressive" Bill congratulated him, while Hermione was folding the paper. "There is only one way to get through this" 

"What?" Hermione asked, impatient.

"Oh, I don't know that!" Bill exclaimed casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But there is only **one** right way. If we make the slightest mistake, everything closes"

"How do you know that?" Oliver inquired.

"I read it in a book"

Bill tried to act civil, but Oliver's visible mistrust was annoying. He had ruled out jealousy as a reason because he could see Hermione's clear preference for Wood.

"There is a logical method to go around through a labyrinth" Hermione was searching her memory. 

"This thing was built out of paranoia. I fail to see what how logic is going to help us through it" observed Bill, uneasy.

"One can't go through the trouble of building a hiding place like this and not work out a way to go in and out of it"

Oliver tried to play the devil's advocate. 

"You **assume** that" Oliver stepped in. "Don't you think it is possible that this is meant to remain undisturbed for eternity? Maybe whoever build it tried to put the dangerous item away, not daring to destroy it?"

"You mean, like a death trap?" Hermione voiced everyone's worst case scenario. "No. The book was buried for the future generations. We are the future"

Hermione was wearing her translator bracelet and necklace, so everything she was saying was heard both in English and in Arabic. At the phrase "_we are the future_" the wall crumbled loudly before them, revealing an arch.

She tried to cast a spell, to test the possible dangers, but nothing happened. The wand felt lifeless in her hand.

"Oh, this is so irritating!" she exclaimed. "The wands don't work anymore! I hate this"

"What did you expect?" Bill asked, rhetorically. "When in Egypt… we should act like the Egyptians"

He walked towards the arch, but Oliver stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing? That could be a trap"

"An act of faith" said Bill and stepped beneath the arch.

Nothing disturbed the silence. Hermione's hand instinctively searched for Oliver's. Hand in hand, Oliver and Hermione followed Bill. After exactly four steps on a corridor dimly lit by their improvised torch, they came across the first human remains. The pieces of an European armour were still hanging around a white, very dry skeleton. From its position, the knight was trying to get out when he died. 

"That's encouraging!" Bill muttered. 

Oliver's thoughts were just as bleak. He was willing to risk his life, but Hermione… He didn't want to risk her life. Or their chance for happiness. He hated having to play the reasonable one. Three Gryffindors in a race! A living nightmare! None of them had any instinctive common sense in these matters. This time, for the first time, Oliver's new found priorities had turned him into an adult. 

****

~~~~~ Another chamber ~~~~~

With every step they were taking, the road behind them disappeared.

"That saves us the trouble to chose what to do" Bill said, unsure if he meant it as a joke or not. 

Unlike Hermione, neither of them had been in a similar situation. She had done this sort of thing since the first year at Hogwarts, so she felt invincible. But this time, Harry was not by her side. She looked around, trying to prepare herself for whatever was the next test. The builders left the legacy and an immense responsibility to their descendants and they had probably tried to make sure that they were worthy of this gift. 

~~~~~~~ 

~~~~~~~ 

~~~~~~~ 

Sorry about the suspense!

Leaving Oliver and Hermione in such a pleasant situation I felt I could let them out of trouble for a while. Besides, I sort of reached a difficult point of the story. This is how far I had thought it out in the first place, but they need more action and adventure to balance the pinkish colour the story reached. 


	15. Instead of OWLs and NEWTs

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling. 

A word of apology, the trials will not be as smart as I intended them. Sadly, the muse was not with me all the time. 

Ideas came from: "The Mummy", the Indiana Jones series, "Relic Hunter", "The Fifth Element"

****

Chapter XV – Instead of OWLs and NEWTs

****

~~ 1 ~~ 

The chamber they had entered was dark and the air was stale, warm, unbreathable. When the door shut closed behind them, the image of an old man was projected from above. It looked like a hologram, but it was just a spell. Hermione's translators allowed them to understand what the ancient wizard was saying. 

__

"You have reached the Gates of knowledge. Your wisdom will be tested. Let the trials BEGIN!"

"I wish he hadn't said that" Bill muttered. 

"Where there's no choice, there is a way" Oliver tried to act brave, although he understood the gravity of the situation. 

"Shut up you two!" Hermione remembered Harry and Ron. 

__

"The answer is the question. The end is the beginning. The meaning is the form. What is it?" 

"That's the riddle? That's absolute nonsense! Why don't they give us something to work with? I hate puns!" Hermione was furious. 

"It's not a play on words. It's a definition" Oliver had seen the answer, but he had never been overconfident in his intelligence. _*If Hermione doesn't see it, no way I'm right*_

"Well, what is it?" Bill was willing to try anything. "I have the feeling it's a time limit to this game"

"What is it, Oliver?" Hermione looked at him hopeful. 

Her trust warmed his heart.

"Life" he said, shyly. 

"That makes sense. Tell him" Bill prompted Hermione. "He doesn't understand English, does he?" he pointed to the ghostly wizard. 

Hermione took a deep breath and uttered. _"Life"_

The ghost bowed and disappeared. Behind him, stood a new door.

****

~~ 2 ~~ 

They passed the threshold and found themselves in an empty room. On the other side of the room, there was another door. 

"Well that's too easy!" Bill commented.

"Maybe this trap has been disarmed" Hermione said, optimistic.

They walked carefully towards the new door. They were in the centre of the room when the ground first vibrated. 

"An earthquake?" Oliver wondered.

His supposition was soon disproved as the floor trembled more violently, until it broke apart in four pieces. Beneath the broken floor, they could see opening an abyss. Bill lost his balance for a second and his cell phone fell in the dark depth. They never heard it reaching the bottom of the pit. 

Oliver tried to get back in the room they had come from, but the door had vanished, as it seemed to be the custom of that place. The floor was breaking further apart, each piece becoming smaller by the second.

Bill was on the quarter of the floor nearest the next door and Hermione jumped away from Oliver unto another quarter. 

"What are you doing?" Oliver asked her, frantic.

"I have an idea! Let's all lean forward and support each other. The weight will be evenly distributed and the mechanism should be jammed. It's all about cooperation and equilibrium" she tried to guess the meaning of the test.

"Lean over this bottomless pit? Are you serious?" Bill wasn't happy with that suggestion.

"No, but what choice do we have?" she answered him, just as unhappy with the situation.

"We're running out of time" said Oliver, stepping to the edge of his quarter of the floor, reaching for Hermione's arm.

Reluctantly, Bill did the same thing and as soon as they had propped each other up, the floor stopped moving. 

"I hope it won't start that again when we try to get to the next door!" Hermione's voice showed concern. 

"We can't stay like this forever" Bill pointed out. 

"Let's count to three and step back" Oliver suggested. "One, two, three"

The floor reassembled itself, allowing them to get to the next door. 

****

~~ 3 ~~ 

No sooner the set foot in the next room, that they heard heavy steps coming their way. At less then three feet away they could discern the figures of seven men who seemed to have come down from the walls of the pyramids. The Ancient Egyptian costumes, the impressive weapons and the dead look in their eyes were terrifying. 

Oliver stepped protectively in front of Hermione. He had a magic dagger, but that was hardly a match for seven heavily armed guys who were already dead.

"What can we do? Without the wands, we're pretty much useless" Hermione reached for her wand, out of habit. 

"Can't you tell them something? A command they could understand" Bill suggested, visibly shaken. 

"Prudence is the better part of valour" Oliver thought of a theory he hadn't understood before. 

"Yes!" Hermione agreed. "We shouldn't try to confront them. After all, whatever they're guarding is meant for a peaceful future. We should retreat"

Against their nature, they stepped back, in a respectful attitude. Oliver was still covering Hermione with his body. 

The guards froze, leaving them free way to the next door.

****

~~ 4 ~~ 

They walked cautiously in the next room. The vast chamber seemed deserted. They could see the door on the opposite side of the room. They looked around for the possible dangers, but nothing appeared. When they got close to the door they noticed that the door had three locks and three plates were in the dust laying before it. Hermione carefully approached the sealed door. She started reading the hieroglyphs carved in the stone wall.

__

"A sign of man's life, 

A part of the foundation, 

And the flesh of the spirit

Will open the gates"

"It figures" she muttered. "Another one!"

"What is the most obvious proof of life?Bill wondered aloud. "Blood, right?"

"Yeah, so?" she wasn't sure where he was getting.

"The foundation of what?" Oliver asked.

"Who build this place? The Egyptians presumably. So the foundation would be the desert. But what is the flesh of the spirit?" Bill was making assumptions.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione shouted at Bill.

"Don't you see? We should match each plate with a symbol. A drop of blood for life, a grain of sand for the foundation, but the flesh of the spirit… I don't know!"

"I think it says _flesh of the spirits_ if it helps" Hermione read the inscription again.

"Of course! Not spirit as soul, but spirit as God. What are Gods supposed to be made of? Air! Supposedly"

"I love working with suppositions" was all Oliver could say, having no better suggestion. "Let's try!" he reached for his dagger and punctured his hand. 

A drop of blood fell on the first plate. The red liquid instantly vanished and a key appeared instead.

Bill sprinkled some sand on the second plate and the second key appeared. Hermione blew gently on the third and got the third key.

They unlocked the massive portal. 

The blackness of the next room was as nothing they had ever encountered. Hermione reached for Oliver's hand again, but found only darkness.

"Oliver!" she cried out. 

Her shout echoed through the walls. She was alone.

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for your interest in the story!

I love reviews and the reviewers!

Thanks a million!


	16. In the Next room

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling. 

****

Chapter XV – In the next room…

~~ 5 ~~ 

The surrounding was familiar, but Bill was too shocked to recognise it at first. 

"…and the next time you consider taking advice from Fred or George…" 

Only when he heard his mother's voice, Bill understood he was in the Burrow. 

"Who's there?" Mrs. Weasley stopped dictating a Howler when Bill opened the kitchen door. "Oh, Bill, why didn't you tell me you were coming? Everything's a mess and your father will be at the Ministry all day…"

Still speechless, Bill let his mother give him a warm hug.

****

~~ 6 ~~ 

In the next room, they could see the Mirror of Erised. 

"That's hardly something exotic" spoke Bill, a little disappointed. 

"Don't tell me you're not curious!" Hermione taunted him. 

"I checked it out when I was at Hogwarts. We sneaked up one night with… Well, a gentleman doesn't say certain things. Suffice to say that all she that night was me!"

"I wonder what's the point of this test" Oliver whispered. 

Apparently, he was the only one concerned what the mirror will show to him.

"We should all take turns looking at it" Hermione suggested. "Any volunteers?"

"I'll go first" Bill stood in front of the mirror. "Am I supposed to tell you what I see?"

"I don't think that's necessary" Oliver said hastily. "If we see something dangerous, they'll let us know, right?"

"Yeah, I mean we don't need to invade each other's privacy" Hermione agreed. 

"Look who has skeletons in the cupboard" Bill scoffed at them. 

As nothing happened, he stepped away from the mirror. Hermione took his place. 

She looked as nervous, Oliver remembered, as she was before the Sorting. That time, she was placed in Gryffindor. What was going to happen now… might not be as unimportant – did he think that? the Hogwarts Houses unimportant? – Oliver was worried.

Whatever she saw in the mirror, it came as a surprise. She was looking shocked at her reflection, unable or unwilling to speak. 

__

*What is it? What are you seeing?* Oliver's heart was racing.

Something was happening. They could hear a noise coming from the bowls of the Earth. Enveloped in darkness, a figure came from behind the Mirror. Hermione was the first to recognise it. 

"Harry" she cried out, running towards him. 

A sharp pain stabbed Oliver's chest at her reaction. She had snatched her hand form his to run away. He tried to put things into perspective, to be the grown up he was supposed to be. Still, he couldn't help feeling as helpless and jealous as he was before he became the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, before he found his value in the girls' eyes, before the independence he had found working for the Institute. Before allowing himself to fall in love with Hermione. 

****

~~ 7 ~~ 

"Oliver? Bill? Anyone?"

Hermione was getting worried. She stood alone in the next room. Something had gone terribly wrong. 

The darkness was suddenly pierced by a ray of light from the farthest corner of the room. Anxiously, Hermione walked toward the source of the light. She found a candle, burning shyly on a three-legged wooden table. Her first instinct was to grab the candle and go back to the door to figure out a way to get back to the others. But on a corner of the table stood discreetly an old, withered, humble roll of parchment.

"Osiris" she whispered in awe.

****

~~ 5 ~~ 

"Hi, Mom!" he said eventually. 

"Oh, you and your surprises, Bill!" Mrs. Weasley was fussing around him. "What happened? Something wrong? Are you feeling all right? Have a cup of tea and tell me everything!"

"I'm fine, Mom. How are things around here?"

"Oh, nothing new. Your father and Percy spend a lot of time at the Ministry. The twins are visiting almost every day. Every time a new gimmick backfires they come begging me to regrow their bones or change their colour back to normal. You know, as usually"

Bill sipped his tea, deeply confused. He could remember perfectly what had happened, but he couldn't understand. One moment he was with Hermione Granger and Oliver Wood, beneath Port Said, unlocking the door, and the next he was sitting in his mother living room, drinking her tea.

The lock must have been a port key, but what had happened to the others? He was about to go to the fireplace to go to his father's office through the floo powder when things got a turn for the worse. The Dark Mark appeared in the air and seven hooded figures aparated in the room. His mother let a faint shout, but she reached for her wand instantly. 

Voldemort took his hood down and grinned maliciously at her while her wand burst into flames at an imperceptible movement of his hand. 

"How splendid to find you here, young Weasley! Another bargaining tool comes in handy. Now, Mrs. Weasley, I know your husband brought home something that presents some interest to me. Will you be so kind as to tell me where might he had hidden it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she tried to stand up to the evil, but the Dark Lord had no time for such useless acts of bravery. 

"_Crucio_" hissed Voldemort.

The pain he could see on his mother's face was not something he could endure. He launched himself in a raging physical attack against the dark wizard, taking all of them by surprise. All but Voldemort. Tom Marvolo Riddle simply suspended his torturing curse against the mother to throw the son in the same inferno of pain.

Bill heard his mother's voice, pleading for his release. With all the lucidity he could muster, Bill shouted.

"Don't tell him anything!"

The intensity of the pain soon stole all capacity for rational thinking. The agony seemed to last for centuries, but it actually stopped in matter of minutes. Mrs. Weasley had yielded. She had bought Bill's sanity with the information Voldemort had asked. 

"I don't need you anymore" Voldemort sneered triumphant at Bill and raised his wand.

Before the dreaded _Avada Kedavra_ took Mrs. Weasley's life, Bill jumped before his mother. He felt the lightning piercing his body, reaching his heart.

__

*I love you, Mom!*

Everything became calm. Quiet. Peaceful.

****

~~ 6 ~~ 

__

*Bloody Harry Potter! How did he get here?* Oliver hated having these thoughts. _*Even Bill seems happy to see him? And why shouldn't they be happy? When Harry Potter comes in to play, the victory is certain. He's the boy who lived! But why would he appear here? Now? Is that what Hermione saw in the Mirror? Harry Potter!_*

The familiar way she looked in Harry's arms bothered him. 

"It's so good to see you! What are you doing here, Harry?"

"Some weird things were happening in the University and we decided to find out more. Ron went to talk to one of the professors and I was on my way to meet Sirius when all of a sudden I found myself here, staring in the Mirror of Erised. When I heard the door opening I hid behind the mirror until I could see who it was"

"Oh, Harry! You saw your parents again…" Hermione had always felt sorry for the orphan Harry. 

"The strangest thing…" Harry whispered, blushing a little. "I saw you"

It was Hermione's turn to blush.

"I hate to interrupt this heart felt moment, but does anyone want to get passed this stage?" Bill stepped in. 

"What did you see?" Oliver asked her.

The look she gave him made it all clear. She hadn't seen him. Oliver's heart was breaking. He wished he had never asked that. he wished he'd never met her. 

"I saw Harry"

****

~~ 7 ~~ 

She leaned over the papyrus. The hieroglyphs were rapidly changing into letters, the words were starting to make sense. The introduction was a fairly standard warning. _"May he who reads this be ware of the monumental power and the awesome danger enclosed in these writings. If you reader, came into possession of this book by accident, leave it where it stood and forget all about it!"_

The papyrus transmitted an overwhelming sensation of terror. The warning was authentic. 

__

*Just one more page* Hermione postponed searching her friends.

__

"These are the words of the all mighty Osiris. At the beginning, Osiris walked the earth with the mortals and gave us much help and wisdom. When the time of his return to the world of the spirits had come, he summoned the med-jai and left them his secret words"

"Stop it!" she stopped herself from reading. "Whatever this is worth, it will still be here when we return. If not… who cares? I have to find Oliver"

****

~~ 6 ~~ 

"Hermione, I love you! I've been blind all these years. We've all been blind. Hermione, you see it too! We're meant to be together!"

"Harry" she whispered softly, but then she remembered something. "Oliver…" she looked at him, guilty. 

The anger and the pain made Oliver's blood boil. How could she do this to him? The hate rose in him. 

__

*No! You can't have her! Why should you have everything? What makes you so special? She's mine! She loves me! Me!*

"Oliver, I'm sorry. I do love him"

Oliver felt his heart being torn from his chest. All he could say was:

"I just want you to be happy"

****

~~ 5 ~~ 

Peace. Darkness. 

****

~~ 7 ~~ 

"I have to find Oliver"

****

~~ 6 ~~ 

"I just want you to be happy"

****

~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~

Bill fell from the feeling of safety into the relative normality of the last room.

Hermione startled when, taking the next step she left the "reality" of the papyrus room and stumbled in the last room.

The darkness hid the tears in Oliver's eyes. Harry and the Mirror of Erised had disappeared. He was with in the last room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

~~~~~~~~

~~~~ 

Not too dissappinting, hopefully.

BabyStar, Lauren, Alle kat, Shellie, Heather, Josie, Kelly, Blackandroseangel69, thank you so much!!!!!

Juvenus, Ryoko Blue, LOTRHPlver, Holly, Elle, Cinder, Hannah and Theed, thanks again for reviewing!


	17. The Great Expectations

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling. 

****

Chapter XVII – The Great Expectations

"What was that?" Hermione wondered confused.

"It was another test! Damn, I hate this place!" Bill was relieved and angry he was alive. "I really hope that was the last one, 'cause I'm sick and tired of this shit! Let's move on!"

Oliver was silent. He understood that he had been caught in another test, in a false reality, but he was surprised by the nature of his trial. He couldn't help doubting her now. What if she'd really chose Harry if she had the opportunity? 

"Oliver! Are you all right?"

Her voice showed concern, but this didn't make him feel any bertter. After the cold shower of the previous test, her presence didn't have the same mesmerising effect. He looked at her and acted his part, smiled and assured her he was fine, but something had changed.

Satisfied that they were all safe, the three began to look around. They were in a small room, dimly lit, looking very much like the one in Hermione's trial. Clutching at Oliver's hand, she walked towards the light. No dangers lurking in the background, no monsters crawling out of the dark…

The table, the candle… Hermione felt she was back in her test. She reached for the manuscript, but, much to her surprise, all she found was a note. Written in Arabic. 

"What does it say?" Bill inquired, nervous. "Is it another test? Please tell me it's not another one!"

"It's not" but she didn't sound happy. "It says «Call the cops!»"

"What?" 

"It's signed: Isis"

"Who the f… is Isis?" 

Hermione didn't answer that. She had been warned. Madeleine's letter said as clearly as the paranoid old witch was able to say _" you must be prepared for disappointment. Some things, no matter how important or how useful, do not pass the test of time."_ However, the letter also said: _"I do have the answer you're looking for. Be careful what you ask though."_. She could hardly wait to get out of there and "debrief" her. But this had nothing to do with Bill Weasley. Or even with the Institute. She considered telling Oliver. She felt she could trust him. 

__

*I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Now let's see how are we going to get out of here!*

"Do you mean we did all this for nothing? It was just a wild goose chase? Bloody hell!"

Oliver kept silent. It didn't seem all that important now. He pulled himself together.

"Let's get out!" 

He took the scrap of papyrus from Hermione and put it in his pocket. He had to explain to his superiors the failure. No Osiris in Port Said. 

The road to the light was less eventful. They dodged all the new traps and found themselves outside. It was a clear night, very appropriate for a romantic stroll under the bluish moonlight, but the stench of defeat cut short such impulses. They parted, disapparating to their homes. Bill left first, quite unhappy about the morning meeting with his boss. Hermione looked in Oliver's eyes as they disaparated. Something felt wrong. She chose to think it was the exhaustion, but her instinct buried an alert signal in her subconscious. Oliver couldn't shake the doubt. The trouble with Harry… was that he was bloody perfect.

How was he to compete with the boy who lived?

~~~~~~~ 

Another letter from Madeleine was waiting for her. She couldn't take another revelation that night. But curiosity got the better of her. Under Oliver's gaze, she read it.

__

"Dear Hermione, 

I hope this letter finds you well. I'm writing from your room. Apparently, you didn't understand my warning. In that case, you're pretty disappointed by now. Port Said was designed to hold the manuscript, but in the course of time, it grew less secure. Unfortunately, far from discouraging you, Gandalf's maze probably increased your appetite for the treasure. 

If you want to know more, come by. I'm staying in Gizeh for another week. Things got weird around here. 

Have I ever told you the secret of life?

Low expectations. 

Madeleine"

*_I hate her! She says the manuscript doesn't exist anymore. But I have to know. And she's leaving! Again! What the hell is wrong with her? Old people are supposed to be wise. She's a nightmare! Do I tell Oliver about this?*_

Hermione handed him the letter. To Oliver it said nothing interesting. All he could read was _"Dear Hermione, would you like to accompany me on a shopping spree in Diagon Alley this weekend? I got a bonus and two days off. Hope you come. Madeleine. P.S. I need another wand. Long story. M."_

"Well?" he asked.

"Don't you think we should go?"

"I got the impression that she wants to spend some time with you. Shopping and gossip. Girls stuff"

"What are you talking about?" she understood instantly. "Oh, the letter is charmed. She has a lot of reasons to be paranoid" 

She read him the true content of the letter and asked him again. 

"How could this girl know anything like that?"

"I suppose I have to tell you" Hermione sighed. "The point is, this isn't my secret. Please, promise me you're not going to tell anyone about it"

"Promise" Oliver was flattered by this proof of trust. 

She told him the little she knew about her friend's past. Oliver was impressed. 

"We should definitely pay her a visit. But, don't expect too much! She doesn't sound like the most reliable source. She didn't go through all those lives without hiding a lot of things from a lot of people"

Hermione agreed. Friends or not, Isis hadn't been a nice person. There was no reason to believe everything Madeleine would tell them.

~~~~~~~ 

Hermione was thinking about this when she felt Oliver next to her. His presence was electrifying. The embrace started tenderly, but it soon turned into a sensual foreplay. He knew just how to arouse her. It came as natural as breathing. Without any effort, he took her mind away from the million questions buzzing in her mind. She wanted to say something, but it felt so good… 

__

*Tomorrow* Hermione decided and let herself go with the sensations. 

~~~~~~~~~ 

That night, Oliver didn't make love. He had sex. Wild and passionate. As far from his nice guy personality as he could. Nice guys never get the girl! He thought little about her needs. He didn't know how long she was going to be in his arms, so it was best to take advantage of the time they had together. 

Hermione noticed the change, but for someone used to being lucid and in charge all the time, she enjoyed relinquishing the control. Even without trying, Oliver was able to give pleasure to his partners.

Many times that night, Hermione felt like giving up treasure hunting, research and all the answers in the world for a never-ending night with him. 

~~~~~~~ 

Oliver watched her sleep. The morning will soon call her back to reality. He felt his soul shredded in the new knowledge. Hermione was too good for him. She was up there, with the myths of their world. She was in Harry's league. Witches and wizards hundreds of years from now will know her name. Her name linked with Harry's. The two of them had stopped the darkness from taking over. Harry and Hermione. No one will say Oliver and Hermione. No one will learn of their adventures in Egypt. They were under contract with the Institute. Their experiences, their shared hardships were classified information. They'll end up in reports, lost on the shelves of a forgotten archive. If they found the lost teachings of Osiris… things would be different. Now… they didn't even share a discovery. All they had to show for themselves, for all these months, were dead ends. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

__

*Oliver?* was the first conscious thought in Hermione's mind. 

She opened her eyes. He was there. He was by her side. 

"The strangest dream…" she whispered and moved closer to him. "I dreamt I lost you. It felt so cold, so dark…"

He stroked her hair gently.

"Shhh! I'm here" his voice masked well the cold inside. "Coffee?" he asked, instead of questioning everything else. 

"Yes, please"

They parted without an embrace. Hermione stared at her image in the bathroom mirror. She tried to find the bright-eyed, bushy-haired enthusiastic girl who usually stared back at her. That child simply refused to come to light. 

__

*Look on the bright side! At least you have Oliver* she tried to cheer up her defeated self. _*It's not the end of the world that you couldn't find it!*_

There was one scary thought, lurking in her subconscious, digging its way to the light. What if Oliver was disappointed? What if this was the end of their professional relationship? What if that was the end? Hermione ended the "what if" torture with a splash of cold water on her face. The sheer force of will drove away the negative energy she was accumulating. She will make it work!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry it took so long! I hope you didn't give up on the story. I didn't!


	18. Treasure Hunting We Will Go

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling, except my lovable self-insertion, Madeleine.

****

Chapter XVIII –Treasure Hunting We Will Go!

Gizeh…

A swarm of Muggles seemed to be all over the place. Hermione and Oliver apparated discreetly in Madeleine's tent. The mess of papers, clothes and electrical appliances was part of her well organised cover story. Madeleine was supposed to be an air-headed Egyptian scholar. She was quite far from that, but people will believe anything as long as you play your part right. Her magic suggestions had something to do with that, but mostly, it was her natural talent for camouflage. 

"Where is she?" Oliver asked.

"She's around. I'm pretty sure she's not simply wasting her time over here"

As soon as Hermione said that, Madeleine came in. She looked quite different than the last time. Maybe it was her Muggle disguise. Oliver's instincts were usually serving him right, so he prepared for the worst.

"Welcome! My tent is your tent!" she greeted them. 

"Why are you living in a tent anyway?" Hermione asked after a brief hug.

"It's part of the uniform" came the answer. "We're doing everything we can to encourage the idea of impermanence. It's not like the Muggles should harbour any illusions that they could stick around indefinitely"

"You're uncharacteristically forthcoming" Hermione noticed. "That's one thing I learned about your defence mechanisms. When you're trying to hide something you give huge amounts of information about everything else"

"Sometimes, it really doesn't pay to have close friends" she admitted the accusation. "That's gotta be great for a researcher, having so much intuition, such finely tuned bullshit detector"

"You're doing it again" Hermione warned her. 

"Allow me to prove some insight: you told Mr. Wood my story, didn't you!"

"Come on, Madeleine! You know you can trust him"

"That's an assumption I have **never** made. About anybody. But there are ways of ensuring his cooperation in keeping my secret"

Madeleine's hand jerked a little, apparently reaching for the wand. Hermione promptly grabbed her wand and was ready to act. 

"No Obliviate!" she snapped at the other witch.

"There are other ways, you know?" Madeleine smiled at her reaction. "Let me show you something" she reached for the wand again.

"Slowly" Hermione advised. 

"It's not a hostage situation! Chill!" she reached inside her pocket carefully and took the wand out with two fingers. It was nothing more than a burnt stick. "It's not like it's working, anyway. I should pay a visit to Mr. Ollivander. This is the fourth wand that explodes in my hand. _Makers of Fine Wands since 382B.C._ like hell! Crooks!"

"I hate to interrupt this charming tea and biscuits conversation, but we nearly died trying to get in and out of that damn maze for nothing. You said you know where the bloody thing is now. You think you can tell us that before the 3,000 Quidditch World Cup?"

"Gryffindors" Madeleine gave them a thin smile. "Not the most patient persons, are you? Yeah, I know. But be sure I'm not going to just give it to you. I didn't break in and got into a small war with the African warlocks just to hand over the prize!"

"Then why did you tell me that? It's just another attempt to get us off course?"

"You know me better than that! I will offer you some explanations. But first, do you have any questions?"

"Several" Hermione had that teacher's pet look about her. 

"Do you know where it is now?" Oliver stepped in. 

"To my knowledge, the manuscript doesn't exist anymore. After I removed it from the maze… I took it to one of the wisest men who ever lived. I told him the story of the book and he agreed with me, mankind was not ready to receive such a gift. And in the thousands of years it needed to reach that level, the danger of unscrupulous men misusing it was too great. So, he promised to destroy it. Since I haven't heard anything about it all this long, I'm certain it is destroyed"

"Who was this wise man?" Hermione was positively glittering with enthusiasm.

Madeleine cleared her throat, displaying a slight embarrassment. Hermione knew this was a bad sign. 

"His name was Nestor. He was respected throughout the Ancient World. That was the only decent thing I did that millennium"

"So? What's the catch?"

"Yes! Where is it? Where did you take the manuscript?!?"

"Toatlantis" she muttered.

"What did you say?"

"I hate it when people need it spelled out for them. I took it to Atlantis"

"The Atlantis? The sunken, never proved to be real Atlantis?" 

"Oh, it was real, believe me! I could make an educated guess where it should be now. But I am sure it was destroyed. If for whatever reason Nestor didn't do it, I'm sure the explosion did the trick. Or the sea. C'mon, it's been beneath the bottom of the Mediterranean for thousands of years. Face it! It's gone"

"You know we can't abandon the search"

Madeleine looked at her friend. She knew there was no way to get the idea out of Hermione's head. 

"You'll be the death of me" she sighed and she handed her some papers. "Just don't tell anyone in the Institute how you got your hands on them. Use your imagination, but please, keep my secret"

Oliver looked over Hermione's shoulder as she unfolded an old map and a couple of pages from a medieval manuscript. Madeleine talked while they were looking over the documents. She had that tone of long past memories. 

"I wrote that in one of the following lives and hid the book in the Vatican. The things I had to do during the first world war… to sneak in and get it back… Some nosy clerics had noticed it and they were about to figure out what it meant…"

"But this is…" Hermione interrupted the trip on memory lane. "The defences listed here are… I never heard of anything like this before. You have to come with us and unlock them!"

"Thanks, but no, thanks! Three's a crowd. Besides, I bet they're not working anymore. Don't forget, they were mechanical. No match for your special powers"

Just as she was desperately looking for arguments to get out of it, a man entered. Oliver recognised him from the pictures in "The Daily Prophet", but Hermione was personally acquainted with the character.

"Not to mention she's otherwise engaged"

This made the surprise twice as powerful. Before Hermione could express her wonder, Madeleine straightened things out.

"An unfortunate choice of words. What can you expect from a man who spent his adult life in prison!" she glared at Sirius Black. "He hired me" she explained the others.

"Could I talk to you for a moment? In private?" Hermione demanded. 

~~~~

Oliver found himself in the weird situation of chatting with one of the most intriguing living wizards. The man who had escaped from Azkeban, cleared his name of the accusations of murdering his best friends and being a Death Eater, a popular Gryffindor and Harry Potter's godfather. He pondered the opportunity of asking what was his business in Egypt, how was the inquest about the survivors of Voldemort's organisation coming along, but neither felt right. So he picked a neutral subject.

"How about those Cannons?"

Sirius smiled and let himself dragged in a discussion about the Chudley Cannons and modern Quidditch.

~~~~ 

Three years Madeleine's junior, Hermione had a way of acting like her older sister. 

"Hired?" she asked as soon as they were alone. "Hired for what?"

"For my special skills. Harry told Sirius about me and they came up with the brilliant idea of using my expertise to track Pettigrew. Of course I didn't consent to give them the spells, but I couldn't just let him-them keep running around clueless"

"How nice of you" Hermione noticed her little him-them hesitation. "Why did you agree? What do you have to gain out of this?"

"I'm hurt! Wasn't it you the one who lectured me about not doing anything for the noble causes? Trust me, there's nothing more noble than revenge."

"Are you sure you have no ulterior motive? I thought I smelled something between the two of you" Hermione looked her straight in the eye.

"It's you I'm worried about, girlfriend" Madeleine adopted an amused tone. "Running all over the place with that boy. You better behave, young lady!"

"It's not funny! I could kill you for the waste of time and energy with that damn labytinth!" 

"Actually, it was quite funny, as far as I can remember going through it myself"

__

*She's never going to change* thought Hermione as they were leaving. _*I just hope she's right about Atlantis*_

~~~~ 

__

*I hope I did the right thing showing them the way*

Madeleine/Isis had more pressing problems to take care of and put her trust in Hermione's common sense and intelligence. 

~~~~ 

In the Morgana Library, Oliver and Hermione were frantically trying to find anything that could verify Madeleine's information. 

"Nothing!" she exclaimed in an undertone. "I didn't find anything!"

"I found some stories, but no one ever put any stock in them. It's just Muggle literature"

"Are we going only with this?" she pointed to Madeleine's map.

"Didn't you say we're Gryffindors? What else do we need?"

Oliver displayed optimism exaggerating his actual feelings, but the idea that Hermione would go back to the University and he'd have to go back to his boring PR duties was not appealing. This way, she wasn't going to be bored with him.

__

*Maybe that's all that matters to him* the insecurity demon was at his job, pouring doubt in her soul. 

"Let's go to Atlantis then!"


	19. Two Hearts in Atlantis

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

****

Chapter XIX - Two Hearts in Atlantis

It was a magic night on the Egyptian shore of the Mediterranean. Hermione and Oliver stood under the starry sky, getting ready to embark on another adventure. 

~~~~~~~ Several hours earlier, in the Morgana Library ~~~~~~~~~~

"How are we going to do this? The map shows where the island should be now… but"

"I remember reading something in Herbology" Oliver interrupted her. 

"Hey, that's my line!" Hermione pointed out, smiling.

"Do you want to hear my idea or not? Gillyweed. It's a plant that…" he pretended to be vexed.

Hermione stopped him with a kiss. 

"I know" she whispered continuing to kiss him. "You're amazing"

"I don't know what this is for, but I'm not complaining" he played along. "I've always wanted to try something like this in a library. With you, my dear, of course" he added when she bit his lip, reproachfully. "You're a jealous little tigress, aren't you?"

Oliver stopped fighting the tenderness. He held her in his arms, falling deeper in love. Time seemed to have paused and he heard her whispering _"You're worth fighting for"_.

~~~~~~~ 

They had chewed on the gillyweed and were waiting.

"Your gills are lovely" Oliver kissed her on the tip of her nose for luck. 

"You're such a smooth operator" she tried to cover up the agitation.

They walked hand in hand into the deep blue sea. 

"Lumos" Hermione bubbled and her wand emitted a ray of light piercing the darkness of the waters. "At least the wands work here" she told him.

"_Fiat lux_" was Oliver's response. 

"Oh, I forgot that one" 

They were swimming in a sphere of light. He was right to use a stronger spell. There was no danger to be discovered and they needed to see where they were going. The map, with all the calculations they made themselves showed only an approximate location of the Atlantis. 

~~~~ About two hours later ~~~~~~ 

"I have a good feeling about this one"

"You said this before"

"Trust me!" she looked at him.

Oliver swam inside the rock. Hermione followed him closely. Unlike the previous three times, this was more than a dent in the underwater mountain. The tunnel ended abruptly and they were looking at the impressive panorama of a ghost city. 

"Blimey, this is incredible!"

"Wicked! We're in Atlantis!"

"Hermione, the defence mechanisms. We're on the Hill of the Supreme Light, according to the map. Shouldn't a fire dragon appear right about now?"

"What?" Hermione was still under the influence of the magnificent outlook of the lost city. "Oh, yes. But I don't see how a fire dragon survive thousands of years. Remember, we're talking about magical creatures, not spells! If no humans survived, there was no one to take care of them. They're probably extinct"

"Probably" Oliver muttered, not completely satisfied. "Well, it's not like there's no other source of problems. Maybe next time we won't be so lucky"

"Love that unbridled optimism you've got going!" she scoffed. 

"This _optimism_ may be the one thing saving our necks in the end" Oliver was looking disapprovingly at Hermione and swam right in the arms of a statue. 

"Are you all right?" she tried to hold back the laughter.

"Who is this guy?" he looked at the bearded figure in who's arms he landed.

"Pan, by the looks of it" she bit her lip, but still giggled when she saw the look of disgust when Oliver noticed the hoofs and the tail of his host. "We're in the smaller piazza. Nestor's place was on the other side of the city"

"This place is full of freaks" he mumbled when they passed a statue of woman with the head of cat.

"One day we'll think about this and laugh" Hermione consoled him.

"I can see you'll wait that long" he looked at her and smiled. "Let's do this!"

They were swimming mindfully along the avenues. The city was long dead, but the level of civilisation was impressive. They might have still worshiped pagan deities, but the people of Atlantis were way above the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Hermione and Oliver were pointing each other all the discoveries they were making with every building they saw. 

Past the largest square, the sphere of light cast by Oliver's spell began to shrink. When they tried to cast the spell again, they noticed the wands weren't working very well.

"I was beginning to miss that" Hermione snarled. 

"That means we're getting close to something"

"There was no indication that Nestor was a wizard. I don't think she dared to entrust another wizard with the precious manuscript"

They dived in Nestor's house through the missing windows. The light was no just around their bodies, so they could see only few feet away. 

"What does this say?" Oliver showed Hermione a marble column. "It looks like Greek. You have the necklace, right?"

"It says _sanctuary_. What kind of sanctuary, I wonder"

****

_"Are you in trouble yet?"_ Hermione heard Madeleine's voice. 

"Did you hear that?" she asked him.

"Hear what?"

**__**

"I'm inside your head, Sunshine! You didn't think I'd let you wonder through the mean streets of Atlantis without any help from me?"

*Well, what is it? Besides, I'm not in trouble, thanks very much for the vote of confidence! Now, what kind of sanctuary is this one? And remind me to tell you later what I think of your mind spells!*

****

"You're in Nestor's place already! I figured you'd be on the only Selenium hill. You passed the trick gates! Bravo!"

*Actually, we entered through the other entrance. Will you answer now?*

****

"It was a sanctuary for sorcerers who, for whatever reason, were persecuted by the Muggles or their own communities"

*I was wondering how you arrived in Atlantis in the first place!*

****

"Don't be so critical! I was completely innocent that time" 

*I'm sure. Now, are you telling me where the manuscript is or you let us try to find it*

****

"I told you. It's not gonna be there. Be careful. Most of the wizards who were there when the island went down died there. So the environment must be satiated with energy. The wands…"

*We noticed. Anything else?*

****

"If you're in trouble just call my name and I'll come on line"

****

As smoothly as she appeared in her head, Madeleine switched off the communication. She had a debt of life to pay to Hermione, but the previous commitment to Sirius Black's cause stopped her from being physically by her friend's side. 

From another corner of the world, Madeleine whispered, unheard by Hermione _"Good luck"_

****

"What happened to you? I've never seen you so quiet"

"I'll tell you when we get out. Let's look for the manuscript" 

They stopped in front of a shrine. Between the statues of different gods, Hermione noticed a representation of Osiris. The first clue so far. Only minutes later, they found an Egyptian jewel box. They looked at each other, not daring to believe it could be as easy as that!

"You think we should open it here?" Hermione wondered.

"It's been here for so long. And we're not sure it's IT"

"What if it **is** IT?"

They stared at each other. It definitely felt that was IT. The very IT they had looked for all along. 

"Wait, it's something written on the cover" Hermione's necklace translated the very warning she had seen in the last room _"…he who reads this be ware…"_ the words sent a cold shiver down her spine. "I don't think we should be doing this, Oliver" she whispered.

It was a rare sight to see Hermione scared, but he couldn't back down. They had a job to do. And he didn't really believe in that old witchcraft, he encouraged himself. 

"Common, Gryffindor. We've been through worse than this. Well, I've been when you made me stay in that valley" he was going for a smile, but all he got was a grin. 

"Oh, the good old days" she accepted the challenge. "How do we get this thing opened?"

"Alohamura?" he suggested.

"With what wand?" she demonstrated a perfect, but useless swish and flick movement. 

"We should do it the old-fashioned Muggle way. I'll hold and you'll pull!"

__

*It's not like I have a better idea. Must be all this time underwater!* thought Hermione. 

All of a sudden, the cover gave in and Hermione flew several feet through the water and went through the altar. Oliver who had fallen on his back was now up and was looking at Hermione through the remains of rotten wood and broken idols. 

"Are you all right?" 

"Peachy!"

Oliver dug through the pieces of statues and offered her his hand, smiling. She looked so awful with the wall all over her!

"Do you think one day we'll look back and laugh about it?"

Hermione gave him a murderous look from the other side of the disaster. Then, for the first time, the humour of the situation hit her. Oliver had fallen in something rather disgusting and was covered in seaweed. He looked as pathetic as she was feeling. She started laughing wholeheartedly.

"I love you" she managed to say through the roars of laughter, feeling that as long as they were together, they could vanquish anything. 

Oliver didn't have the chance to say anything because their attention was caught by the box they had just opened. The roll of papyrus inside, was disintegrating under their eyes. 

"Madeleine" Hermione yelled.

**__**

"What happened?"

The voice sounded worried, but Hermione refused to believe it. 

"Did you do this?"

"Who are you talking to?" Oliver asked her.

**__**

"Did what?"

"Are you destroying the papyrus?"

"Hermione" Oliver called her again, with no result.

**__**

"You have to trust me on this. I thought the manuscript was long destroyed. Atlantis is just my gift to you. I hated to see you disappointed. Tell the Institute whatever you want, but I have already leaked information to the Daily Prophet that you and Oliver Wood found Atlantis" before Hermione could say anything, she added. **_"Call it a wedding gift! Remember, I'm really good at drawing charts. All I want, is your first born!"_**

Hermione was surprised. She knew that was the truth. Madeleine had never lied to her. 

**__**

"I was only joking about the first born" Hermione heard the amused voice again. 

"Hermione!" Oliver was already pulling her towards the surface. 

Her conversation with Madeline had looked like a trance to Oliver. 

__

*Wedding* she was thinking, following him. 

~~~~~~~~ 

They got out of the water almost out of breath. She was beautiful, wet and exhausted, in the cruel morning light. He collapsed on the beach, holding her in his arms. They were safe. With the last shreds of energy, Oliver disapparated with her in his apartment. 

~~~~~~ 9 a.m., Oliver's flat ~~~~~~~ 

Oliver's owl dropped the mail on the table. He heard the fluttering of wings and woke up. He stumbled out of bed and browsed through the mail. The front page of the Daily Prophet shocked him awake. 

****

Hermione Granger and Oliver Wood discovered Atlantis!

He was now worthy of her. Their names will be remembered together. 

~~~ 9.30 a.m. ~~~

The smell of hot coffee was the one thing certain to wake up Hermione. She accepted the coffee, the kiss on the head and the surrounding love without questions. She could see Oliver was excited about something. As soon as she saw the Daily Prophet, she recalled her friend's words. 

"Are you awake?" he asked, obviously anxious.

She nodded. 

Oliver kneeled by the bed and asked her the very thing she wanted to hear. 

"Hermione, would you marry me?"

Hermione jumped in his arms, kissing him.

"YES!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~ THE END ~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.

An epilogue is almost finished. 

It's 4 in the morning. If this chapter is not as good as it seems to e now, I'll rewrite it. 

Thank you, blackroseangel69, Juvenus, Hunny, Lauren, GiRlfRiEnD, Theed, Hannah, Cinder, Elle, LOTRHPLver, Holly, MissPerfectionist, Ryoko Blue, allee kat, Shellie, Heather, Josie, Kelly, kravenclaw, PsychoChick26, Ashlyn, Kanga and Alexandra Trent.


	20. Epilogue

Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K.Rowling.

****

Epilogue

London, 15 years later

__

*Platform 7, platform 8, platform 9* 

Fourteen years old Morgan Wood was running between the Muggles trying to catch up with her family. 

__

*Where are they?* she wasn't worried yet, but she didn't have a lot of time to waste. 

She caught sight of them and slowed down. Her mother was fussing over her brother. She could guess what she was saying: _"Don't worry about the sorting! Whatever House you'll be in is all right. Remember the things we taught you and be mindful of the things you have to learn there....."_ It was the same speech she had received three years earlier. Her father was a step behind her mother, trying to look like he wasn't nervous. He was not doing a very good job at it, but Christian was nervous enough not to notice that. 

Young Morgan was so taken by that picture of family bliss that she didn't notice she was driving her trolley in an innocent bystander.

"Sorry, Sir!" she apologised out of habit. "Oh!" she gasped shocked when the stranger turned around. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter!" she stared at his scar, then blushed and tried to avert her eyes from the mark of the curse. "I was just…" 

His warm smile stopped her.

"It's all right"

"There you were. The express is leaving in ten minutes" she could hear her mother's voice, but all she could think was Harry Potter. 

She stepped out of the Muggles's London and to Platform 9 3/4 with the image of those sad green eyes stamped in her memory. She shook her head and looked for Christian. Between worrying about her little brother and the catching up with her friends, she put Harry Potter on hold. But as soon as she remained alone, his image popped into her head. Without realising, Morgan was experiencing her first crush. But that is another story…

~~~~~

Hermione had hugged her daughter and watched her disappear through the wall. Her children were on their way to Hogwarts. She was worried and proud and happy, all at once. She felt Oliver's arm around her shoulders and she could hardly keep her heart from bursting. She was happy. 

On the platform, she saw Harry Potter.

"Hello, Harry" she hugged her old friend. "I read you were awarded the Order of Merlin, first class. Congratulations!"

Harry smiled, embarrassed. 

"You two deserve to be congratulated! You have two great kids"

Oliver grinned, full of pride and shook his hand. 

"What are you doing here? Have you accompanied somebody off to Hogwarts?" Oliver asked him.

"Me, actually"

"No!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're the mystery Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?!"

Not knowing the identity of the DADA teacher until classes started had become somewhat of a tradition at Hogwarts.

"Yeah. Dumbledore finally tricked me into it"

"Then we'll see you in PTA meetings" she smiled. "Off you go or you'll miss the train!" she kissed him on the cheek. 

~~~~~~~

They looked at Harry going through the wall. Oliver noticed his wife's sadness. 

"Maybe you should've taken the job there, too"

"Can you imagine how embarrassing has to be to have your mother teaching you Charms? That's something to let a child scared for life. Are you tired of me or something?"

"Don't even joke about it!" he pouted. "I know how difficult it was to have Morgan away at school, but now that they're both gone…"

"I do miss them, Oliver" she took his arm and walked away from the entrance to platform 9 3/4. "But you know what's the silver lining in this? For the first time in fourteen years we have the house all to ourselves"

"So?" he looked totally clueless. "Ouch. I was joking" he added when Hermione pinched him. "Actually, I have a surprise for you when we get home"

~~~~~~ 

The romance has never really disappeared from their marriage. In the 15 years together, there had been some moments in which they questioned their choice, but the doubts couldn't ruin the beauty of them. From the front page of the "Daily Prophet" to the pages dedicated to them in "Magic Who's Who" their world had known them together. Hermione and Oliver Wood were the star couple in research and fight against darkness. Nothing had come easy to them. Once every couple of years, something came up and they had to pull together, to protect their way of life. 

Luckier than the Potters, Hermione and Oliver were enjoying their life, their children and their friends. 

~~~~~~~~~~ The End ~~~~~~~~~

Maybe in September, I'll tell you what happened in the missing 15 years. 


End file.
